The Story of Sonic the Hedgehog Original Version
by Aaron M. Brandt
Summary: Sonic and the Freedom Fighters fight the final battle against Robotnik with the help of two humans. This is the original version of my other Sonic story. Will not be updated.
1. Prologue

**Note: This is the original version of my other story by the same name. This version was started early in fifth grade and finished early in twelfth grade (roughly eight years). Once I was done with it, I read back through it and realized how much this version was lacking, so I started on the other version. Just thought I'd post this version so you could see what the story looked like before I started work on the other (much longer) version. If possible, try to save the reviews for the end of it (I know there's errors in it, but to fix those errors would take too long and that's what the new version is for).  
-Aaron M. Brandt

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Character ideas:

Aaron Brandt Computer genius, 12th grader, fast runner  
Sonic Hedgehog Freedom fighter, fast runner  
Samantha Collen Aaron's best friend, 12th grader, in ballet, great swimmer  
Princess Sally Acorn Sonic's girlfriend, great swimmer

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Prologue: The legend (Setting: 2 days before the Freedom Fighters formed.)

The planet Mobius was one of beauty and peace; two races living in harmony on one planet. The Overlanders had originated on a far distant planet in another dimension until a scientific discovery led them to Mobius where they lived in peace with the Mobians, a race of animals that could talk. One of these Mobians was Sonic Hedgehog, a young blue hedgehog who was the fastest runner on the entire planet.

Sonic Hedgehog was out trying out the new sneakers his Uncle Chuck had just made for him that could withstand Sonic's incredible speed when he decided to stop by one of his friends' houses. Her father was the King. He went up and rang the doorbell. Rosie, the Princesses aunt, answered the door.

"Is Sally home?" Sonic asked. Rosie stood a little bit taller than Sonic, so she had to look down at Sonic.

"And, just who wants to know?" Rosie asked briskly.

"I'm Sonic Hedgehog. Sally's best friend." Sonic said. Rosie had just arrived from the Eastern hemisphere of Mobius. Sally's parents, the King and Queen of Mobius, were in need of a housekeeper and Rosie was more than qualified for the job. They provided her with a place to sleep, food, clothes and all she had to do was look after Sally when the King and Queen were away on one of their diplomatic missions and keep the palace clean. Rosie was also Sally's aunt.

"I'll get her. Wait in the west wing." She said as she walked off to get Sally. A few minutes later, Sally came walking into the wing where he was waiting.

"Why, Sonic! How sweet of you to visit me here in the palace!" Sally said in her slight European accent. It was Sally's eighth birthday and all her friends were invited to the party.

"I just thought I'd stop in and say 'Hi'!" Sonic said.

"Well, don't just stand there, come on in! You know you're always welcome in the palace." Sally said as she led Sonic into the main chamber. Sonic and Sally had been friends for as long as they both could remember.

"Well, I have an opportunity for you and five others to go for. But, you'll have to accept by tomorrow." Sonic explained. At that time, there had been some tensions building between the Overlanders who lived across the Great Ocean and the Mobians who lived in the Great Forest and everyone seemed sure that the tensions would soon break into a war. Sonic and a few select others from around the planet were each putting together small groups of citizens to stand against the forces that would otherwise overthrow the kingdoms.

"And, just what kind of opportunity is this and what does it entail?"

"Well, you'll have to leave your life in the palace behind and live in the Great Forest with the others. You'll have to be willing to risk your life for the safety of Mobius. Are you willing to do all that and more?" Sonic explained in detail. Sally did not hesitate to answer.

"Yeah! But, am I ready for that kind of life? Can I bring my Aunt Rosie? Sally questioned.

"Question one: Yes, I believe you're ready for this. Question two: Yes, you can bring your Aunt Rosie. And, if you want to bring anything small you have, go ahead and bring it!" Sonic finished.

"So… what time should I come over, then? And, how will I get my things there?" Sally asked.

"Everything will be taken care of, your Royal worry-wart! As for the where, when and how… well, I'll just stop over tomorrow early enough for us to get started." Sonic answered.

"Okay! I'll be ready!" Sally exclaimed as she showed Sonic the way out. The rest of the night, Sally was uneasy about leaving the palace. Finally, right before bedtime that night, Sally went to talk to her father about joining this club.

"Sally, to tell you the truth… I think that you are old enough to decide what you want to do." King Acorn explained to his daughter.

"Well, I would like to be the first Princess to live outside the palace! But, I will miss the palace once I am outside of it. But, still I would love living someplace else!" Sally exclaimed.

"Well, you have my permission to go!" The King said with a laugh. Sally immediately began packing. While thinking about what it would be like to live outside of nearly twenty acres of palace, she continued packing her chemistry set. She had finished packing for the next day and she decided to go call a few of her friends. She got the calls done and went to bed. In the morning, she woke rested and excited about joining this organization when Sonic showed up.

"Well... are you ready to come to your future home?" Sonic asked. Sally was excited about living outside of the palace, but she was still nervous about it. Sally had never really spent much time outside of the palace walls, so this would be a first for her.

"I haven't even had breakfast yet! Why don't you come in and explain this organization to me and tell me where it is?" Sally asked.

"Breakfast-wise, you can eat once we get there. As for the name of the organization, it is called the 'Freedom Fighters'! We will be located in the middle of the Great Forest." Sonic explained. Sally did not hesitate one minute. She ran and told her father that she would miss him. Then, as Sally was walking to get her bags, she heard a scream headed toward the palace.

"Everyone hide! Ivo Robotnik is coming!" A young two-tailed fox yelled. Sonic and Sally both ran to the window and watched as house after business vanished as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his SWATbots destroyed the village and roboticized every living thing except for those in the palace. Robotnik and his troops approached the castle, but were stopped by the closed gates. Robotnik was determined not to let anything stop him.

"SWATbot X-134269, blast through the gate. Now!" Robotnik ordered. The SWATbot followed the order to the word. Just then, the King came out.

"What is this about?" King Acorn asked.

"To put it bluntly, I want to roboticize every living thing on Mobius… including you!" He laughed.

"I truly don't believe accordingly so, Ivo!" King Acorn said.

"Oh, I think so and will! SWATbots, take him away!" Robotnik ordered. King Acorn tried to run away, but was stopped short when Ivo tripped him. "Never mind, I'll do it right here!" He said as he reached into his cape and pulled out a portable roboticizer. "Now, will you come along quietly or will I have to do this here?" Robotnik asked, grinning. The King, even valiant in a situation like this, knew he had been defeated and walked away with Robotnik following close behind.

"Kodos would be proud of me right now!" The King turned and was lead by Robotnik to the city of Robotropolis.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! My… my… father!" Sally screamed.

"Sally, calm down! Listen, we have to get out of here! Run and get your essential stuff! We'll come back and get the rest of it later tonight!" Sonic directed. Sally ran and got the things she needed and came back. "Okay, follow me and keep low until we get into the forest." They made it to the meeting place for the Freedom Fighters; located underneath an old tree stump in a hollowed out cavern.

The next day they set about finding four more Mobians to complete the team. Sonic had no problem finding the rest of the team, for they each had lost someone during the siege by Robotnik. Sonic felt it important to formally introduce the others of the team to Sally. As night drew its shades on the remains of the castle, Sonic gathered together the other members of the team and introduced them to Sally.

"Sally, this is Bunnie Rabbot!" Sonic said, "She is from the Southern Quadrant of Mobius. Bunnie stepped forward,

"How y'all doin'?" Sonic turned to Sally.

"This is Miles 'Tails' Prower." Tails flew forward.

"I'm the only two-tailed fox on Mobius!" Tails proudly said. Sonic turned.

"This is Rotor." He said and forward stepped a lavender walrus. "Last and least is Antoine D'coolette… I am sure you know him. He was the King's personal guard." Sonic said.

"Hollo, my dear princesse." Antoine said in his French accent.

"Well… this is a surprise! When are we going to move into this place called Knothole?" Sally asked.

"We're going to move tonight. I want everyone ready by the time the moon rises. At half-past the first moon, we move. No later." Sonic ordered.

"Want me to get the rest of my stuff out of the palace?" Sally asked.

"We'll get it later tonight or tomorrow. Robotnik is probably hiding there." Sonic said.

After getting her things out of the palace, Sally and Sonic were the only ones still up.

"I think we are going to have a great relationship!" Sally said to Sonic before falling asleep in his arms.

(End of Prologue)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The Freedom Fighters: Ten years later

The whole of the Freedom Fighters bad been summoned to the meeting room after Rotor had received information from their sources regarding Robotnik's latest plan. A plan that could potentially work if executed just right.

"We can't rush into things here! We have to consider the options!" Sally said, "I think we, being, the last hope for Mobius, should try to come up with a back-up plan! Our spies in Robotropolis heard that he has a machine that allows him to travel to other planets, even back in time. He's also nearing completion on his latest weapon, the Ultimate Annihilator." Just then, Rotor walked into the meeting. Rotor had been working on a device that would allow them to travel to wherever it was that Sally's father had been imprisoned.

"Sorry I'm late, Princess, but I have the portal working. All I need is your permission to go ahead with the plan!" Rotor reported. Everyone present at the meeting looked very tired and exhausted both mentally and physically. The meeting they were in had taken most of the day and was slowly approaching night. Recently, Rotor had intercepted a transmission from the city to a team of SWATbots about his latest plans for world domination and needed to come up with a plan to stop it. Rotor's portal was part of the plan that they were hurriedly coming up with, though the other part was what still needed to be devised.

"Not until we know for sure exactly what it is Robotnik plans to do to Mobius. So, nobody goes near it until then, understood?" Sally asked.

"I read you loud and clear, my lady. I'll have Sonic guard it until then. He won't let anything he doesn't know past him." Rotor answered. Once the meeting was over with, Rotor and Sally went to find Sonic. They found him in the exercise hall running on the treadmill.

"I'm working on a new move! It's the figure-eight super peel-out! Once I do it, I move at warp speed!" Sonic explained.

"Sonic, Rotor needs you to guard his lab being that he finished the portal. Nobody enters the lab!" Sally ordered. Sally did not like being strict towards the other Freedom Fighters, but she had to with Sonic sometimes. Sonic, ever the rebel, almost never listened to anyone except Princess Sally, and that was only because he had a slight crush on her. Sonic hopped down off the treadmill and ran over to the lab to guard it as he had been told. Rotor and Sally turned around and headed back to the remains of the palace. The citizens of Knothole Village still remembered exactly where they had been at the moment the King was hauled away by Robotnik.

"I can't believe he did all this in one night!" Sally said in disbelief. She had ordered the rubble and the remains be kept in the same position and location as it was the day after. Since the war against Robotnik had started, Sally had thought that if the King were gotten back, he would be able to provide the much-needed strength to win the war. They knew where the King was but needed the exact coordinates for 'The Zone Of Silence'. Just as they got to the ruins of the palace, they heard the portal generator start up.

"Rotor!" Sally yelled over the noise.

"The portal! I forgot to install the safety circuit! It is completely unpredictable without it!" Rotor said quickly. Before he knew what was happening, Sally ran to the lab and, grabbing a backpack full of power rings jumped through the portal after Sonic. Immediately, after she got through the screen, the Inter-Dimensional Portal Generator blew the fuse. The entire village was standing outside the lab as Rotor got there.

"Here's the story: Sonic managed to figure out how to operate the thing. He went to…" Rotor said as he read what the screen said, "…Earth. Bad news is: Sally went with him. Worse yet, the portal blew its one and only fuse. I'll have to make another before we do anything else." Rotor reported. Rotor and Tails, who were joined shortly by Antoine and Uncle Chuck stared at the portal in hopes that the Princess would fall out of it any second.

Meanwhile on Earth, Aaron Brandt was trying the portal he had just built at the same time that Sonic had started Rotor's up. Aaron had set his portal for a planet called Mobius, someplace that he had heard about from a popular comic. Aaron had just gotten into his portal when Aaron's friend Samantha Collen went to pull him out, but instead tripped on a wire into the portal. As their molecules passed, they got mixed; Sam's with Sally's and Sonic's with Aaron's. Sonic was further along the teleport process than Aaron was, so the momentum carried them back to Earth. When they got out, they immediately fell unconscious. Sally, who was now trapped in Samantha's body, began recalling her youth.

(End of Chapter 1)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Sally's past: The reality (8 years old)

"I'm smarter than you!" Sally exclaimed.

"Sez who?" Sonic asked.

"I say!"

"You say?"

"Yeah!" Sally shot back. "I do!" King Acorn walked up. The children stopped as the King approached them.

"What seems to be the problem, children?" The King asked.

"Nothing important, daddy!" Sally naively said.

"Nossir! We were just having fun!" Sonic added.

"I see." King Acorn replied, a little confused.

"I hate to interrupt, King Acorn. But, I have matters of urgent importance to discuss!" A stranger said from the shadows.

"Ah, Warlord Julian Kintobar! I've been looking for you. Run along, children! We'll settle this later." The King said as he motioned for the kids to leave him and Warlord Julian alone.

"Come on, Sal! Last one to the tree house is a rotten chilidog!" Sonic told Sally as she followed a short distance behind.

"We've a reception tonight!" The King said.

"A reception, Sire?" Julian asked.

"Yes, I'm announcing your appointment as Minister of Science. I've also approved your plans for dismantling the military! Implementation may begin at once!" King Acorn was looking to get rid of the military that Julian Kintobar's predecessor had built up and now that he had Kintobar as Warlord, he had no need for a military.

"Of course, Sire!" Julian attentively said. In the back of his mind, he kept thinking how great of an opportunity this was. He had plans, but he had to wait with them until the time was right.

"One more thing… it is imperative that the transition proceed immediately! I'm confident you're more than up to the task, Doctor Julian!" King Acorn said.

"Better than you know, Sire!"

"Very good! I'll see you tonight, then!" The King said as he headed towards the door.

"Alert the troops to be ready for my signal, Snively!" Julian said to his short assistant who stood to Julian's side in the shadows.

"Just say the word, Sir!" Snively said. In his hand, Snively held a small remote control of sorts. On it was one button; one button that would unleash the attack that had for so long been planned and rethought.

"The word is given, Snively… Commence attack… NOW!" At his mark, Snively pushed the button and Julian's army marched into the city from just beyond its border. At first glance, they appeared to be normal troops. But as they got closer, Sonic could tell that something was not right about them.

"Sal… it's like the war is starting up again! But, I've never seen troops like these!" Sonic said in awe. Sonic and Sally had been just a year old at the time of the first Great War and had been told all about it in school and had read about it. From what either could remember, these troops were very much unlike the troops that marched in the Great War.

"What do they want, Julayla?" Sally asked.

"As I'm at a loss to explain this, I think it better that we return to the palace and find Rosie, my dear!" Julayla, the Princesses mentor, said, "I'm sure the King is aware of the situation!" A startled King looked onward as Julian approached him.

"Julian! What's going on here?" The King asked. The royal guards of the King started to approach but were held back by a wall of the robots.

"Your Majesty… members of the royal courts… I've now assumed control! Henceforth, what was once known as Mobotropolis will now be Robotropolis, the capitol of my kingdom! My army of SWATbots have struck simultaneously at various key points all over the kingdom, virtually halting any chance of any resistance!" Julian said to the King, "That could change, however, if the royal subjects were to rally around the King and crown!" King Acorn had been raised to never give up and he had no plans to give up now no matter how bad it seemed.

"Give it up, Julian! You can't succeed!" The King exclaimed.

"The name is no longer Julian! From this day forward, I am Robotnik! As for you, King Acorn, I hereby banish you to The Zone Of Silence… forever!" Robotnik evilly cackled. Julayla, who had been standing on the balcony of her classroom gasped as she heard the words that Robotnik had spoken, carried in on the wind.

"Oh my!" Julayla gasped.

"Have you no honor, Julian? No sense of responsibility or loyalty?" The King asked.

"Oh, but I do! I have a responsibility to restore order from chaos!" Robotnik said, "And, with the aid of my latest discovery, I have the means necessary to carry out my plans! SWATbot, bring me the creator of this device! Sir Charles Hedgehog!" Robotnik turned to Charles, "After making a few changes to it, I will control the planet!" Charles then turned to the King.

"Sire, I made it so if someone breaks a leg or arm, I can roboticize that limb, but after Julian stole it and tampered with the controls, it completely roboticized my brother! You killed my brother!" Charles finished, turning to Robotnik.

"Now, you may join your brother in my army of robots! The machine will transform any living creature into a mindless robot, free to obey my every command and order!"

"Sally, Sonic, Julayla, Rosie run for your lives! Escape from this place!" The King shouted to the others. "This is Monstrous!" He said as he turned back to Robotnik.

"That depends on your point of view! In my version, you are the enemy and must be eliminated for the good of all!" Robotnik said.

"No matter how long it takes, Julian, somehow I will stop you!" The previous Warlord had had a lackey who was a powerful wizard. Using his magic and the tactical knowledge of Warlord Kodos, Ixis Naugus and Warlord Kodos had created the Zone Of Silence; a zone where sound failed to reverberate and light had no meaning. Kodos had an obsession with weapons of destructive power and had made several various weapons until his sudden disappearance just days before Robotnik was instated as Warlord. Once Warlord, Robotnik had discovered all the marvelously destructive weapons and gadgets that Kodos and Ixis had left behind; including the Zone, which at that time was contained within a wall.

"Courageous words Sire! But, where you are going that won't be possible! Open the portal! May I present to you The Zone Of Silence! Impressive, isn't it? Be sure to give Ixis Naugus, its inventor and Kodos, your former warlord, my regards! An unsafe journey, my once and former King!"

"I'll get you, Julian!" The King said as he was tossed into the Zone as if he was a scrap of paper thrown out a window.

"Long live, the King!" Robotnik cackled as the dream ended and Sally woke up.

(End of Chapter 2) 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Planet Earth

"Sam, you alright?" Aaron asked as Sam got up. Aaron reached over and grabbed his computer chair. "Here Sam, sit down and rest." Aaron said. Sam sat down in the chair. Aaron and Sam were having a hard time remembering certain things. Aaron still remembered who he was and minor things like that, but he had a feeling like something had changed.

"What happened? It was working just fine until that weird electrical storm! Would static electricity mess up the transmission system?" Sam asked. As they sat in Aaron's garage trying to remember exactly what had happened, the lights overhead flickered and came close to going out.

"Aaron, what's with the power?" Sam asked.

"That happens all the time. Nothing to worry about." Aaron replied. A humming filled the air as the back up generator kicked in.

"Come here, I want to show you something I've been working on for a while." Aaron said as he led Sam over to a part of the floor that was darker than the rest. In the back of both their minds, it was almost as if they had already done this. "Sam, stand next to me. And, don't tell anyone how to get to this part my lab." Aaron typed in a code on his computer and hit enter, then walked to the secret platform. It slowly lowered to a garage below a garage.

"This has been here ever since the original garage was built. Guarded by a sophisticated security system, I have been putting the finishing touches on my 'Stretch Lamborghini'. The car is designed so that it will not use any gas." Aaron explained.

"Then, what will it run on?" Sam asked, for the first time that Aaron could remember, showing some knowledge about the inner workings of cars.

"I found these green crystals in here when I discovered this workshop. If my calculations are correct, these will allow the car to reach the necessary speed to jump dimensions and possibly travel through time." Aaron replied. "Do you still have your laptop? I could use it to drive the car without having anyone in it." Aaron remembered how the laptop that Sam still had was the same one that had suddenly appeared a year and a half ago in her bedroom.

"Yes, I have it right here. Do you hear that?" Sam asked, as the air filled with what sounded like a thousand bees humming. Suddenly, there was an explosion above ground.

"I'll go above ground and see what it was." Aaron said as he got back on the platform and went up. Once there, he saw that half of the block he lived on was destroyed. He then went back down. "Half the block is gone! I can have the car meet us at school and pick us up. You can spend the night here… your house was one that was destroyed by that explosion! I'll be in before too long." Aaron said as Sam went upstairs to the guest room that Aaron was letting her use. Aaron then went back to work on the car. Once finished with the car, he went to bed. In the morning after a brief breakfast, they took the bus to school. Once on the bus, both Sam and Aaron noticed it was quieter than usual. At school, he noticed that no one save for him and Sam were eating lunch. There were none of the ordinary fights of any sort, no running in the halls, no bullies beating up on kids; almost as if the school had been taken over by androids. At study lab, they discussed what they had noticed.

"Nothing is the same as it should be." Aaron said, "I think we should get away from here! This is too weird!"

"Well, school's almost out. But, do you think we should use the car? What if we never get there?" Sam asked, not really expecting a response and not too surprised when he did not get one.

"If what I think is wrong is wrong, then we have more to worry about that we thought! Let's get going right now! We'll call the car from your computer. Let's hope none of the remaining people see the car coming here!" Aaron started her computer up.

"How are you gonna call that car with my laptop?"

"I can use the Internet to access my lab and link up with the car." Aaron connected up with his lab and activated the car. The screen showed the status of the systems as it started up. Aaron let the coolant work its way through the engine. Aaron's fingers flew over the keyboard and the separate windows piled up, then the screen showed the word 'coming…' in big red letters.

"Okay! We have ride out of here. The car is on its way! It'll be here momentarily." Sam and Aaron walked out of the school and noticed that there was a large factory outside that was not there the other day.

(End of Chapter 3) 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 The Factory

"What is this?" Aaron asked surprised by the sudden placement of the factory that stood across the street.

"How long until the car arrives?" Sam asked.

"Ten to fifteen minutes. What say we go and check it out?" Aaron suggested. Sam had always suspected Aaron of being a risk-taker. Aaron's willingness to just walk right up to a factory that appeared out of nowhere seemed to solidify that idea and ground it in reality.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this!" Sam said, hoping that Aaron would hear it and turn back before they got any closer. Aaron seemed to either ignore her or not hear her. The two of them cautiously approached the gate. Aaron found a wet stick and threw it at the gate. It hit the gate and nothing happened. Ahead of them, a door opened up out of the ground and a humanoid figure came walking out of it. Once out of the door, the doorway closed and became invisible to the untrained eye.

"What's that?" Aaron looked at where Sam was pointing, and saw what looked like a robot coming towards them.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look friendly! Let's get out of here!" Aaron started running, when he heard Sam cry out in pain.

"What happened?" Aaron asked as he doubled-back to help Sam up.

"I must've twisted my ankle. Can you run super-fast like you used to? Because I could hold onto your shoulders and we could get to the car before that thing catches up with us!" Aaron was not sure exactly what Samantha was talking about, but some part of him said he should and he simply believed it.

"Yeah, I can!" Sam hobbled over to Aaron and grabbed his shoulders. Aaron started running and ran faster than he had ever before. They got to the school just as the car pulled up. As it stopped, the doors swung open. Aaron got in the driver's side and Sam in the passenger side. The doors automatically closed once both passengers were entirely inside.

"Buckle up! This might be a tricky ride. Plug Nicole into the dash." Aaron said as he started the car up. The back seat held the power source; two Chaos Emeralds, the same green crystals he had found in the shop. The smallest one started to faintly glow as the power system started up. Aaron stepped on the accelerator and the car pulled away silently. As Aaron drove the car out of the parking lot, he realized that he had left his backpack near the building. He stopped the car and got out.

"Where're you going? I thought we were getting out of here." Sam asked from the passenger side.

"I left my backpack beyond that fence. You can come with me if you want… I'm just gonna run in there and be out before you know it." Aaron answered. Sam climbed out of the car and closed her door behind her. They both stealthily approached the fence like they had done the other time, this time careful to look for any security system sensors that might be placed around there. After about a minute of jogging, Aaron made it to his backpack, picked it up, and put it on. Sam was gazing around at the buildings.

Back on Mobius, Rotor's portal started up on its own and it spat out a single being. Rotor heard the portal start up and ran to it.

"Antoine, get in here quick!" Rotor shouted over the noise of the machine. Antoine ran as fast as he could as soon as he heard Rotor.

"I think this is the time to pray that Robotnik doesn't destroy us! Get Doctor Quack immediately!"

(End of Chapter 4) 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Robotropolis

Robotropolis was the largest city on the planet. The remains of Mobotropolis were buried someplace underneath the large metal and cement city. The command center of Ivo Robotnik stood over what once was the grand Castle of Acorn.

"Ah, Snively! Isn't it just wonderful that we can not only take over one world, but as many as we like?" Robotnik exclaimed. Sitting in front of the massive control panels that commanded the entire city, Snively looked from screen to screen as the small lights across the boards blinked in alarm.

"Sir, a perimeter alarm has been tripped! Sector 10A. Should I dispatch the SWATbots or perimeter patrol?" Snively asked.

"No, I'll handle this myself." Robotnik said. At that, Robotnik walked down to where he kept his robots when they were offline. Once down there, he initialized five robots and sent them out to neutralize the intruders.

Back outside, Sam was amazed at the sheer size of the buildings.

"Wow! Look at the size of those buildings! Where did they all come from?" Sam exclaimed. A door opened out of the ground.

"I think it best if we leave all those questions unanswered. Back to the car, now!" Aaron shouted as five robots flew out of the small door and shot lasers at them. They climbed into the car and took off.

"This time we don't stop until we get there!" Aaron said. Once they hit seven hundred miles per hour, the car started changing. The car lengthened by five feet and a cone extended from the front, and at its base was surrounded by a ring. The car was now shaped almost like a bullet. The second emerald started glowing.

"Aaron, are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" Sam asked. Aaron thought she was too much of a worrywart; she would try to stop him from jumping off the cliff and into the raging river below even if it was only a five-foot fall.

"I know enough!" Aaron replied as he navigated around the wet streets. As the car reached fourteen hundred miles per hour, a lightening bolt shot from the end of the cone creating a black hole in front of the car. The car vanished in a large shockwave and then it was gone. They made their way through the Inter-Dimensional Super-Highway to Mobius.

In Knothole, things were not looking so good.

"Great shades of Mobius! The King's back!" Doctor Quentin Quack said as he entered.

"His skin's changin' or something! Look!" Bunnie said.

"He looks like a chaos emerald or something!" Tails noted.

"There's... not… much… Doomsday…" The King mumbled.

"Tails! Find Uncle Chuck! We're going to need as much help with this as possible!" Rotor said. Tails set out immediately for Charles' bunker.

After the car made it out of the portal, Sam and Aaron separated from their counterparts, Sonic and Sally. As soon as the separation was done, Aaron looked around himself to get his bearings. Sam had fainted in the passengers seat.

"What the?" Aaron asked as he realized that he was not on Earth any more.

"I'll explain: when I started Rotor's portal up originally, I created portals all over Mobius." Sonic explained as best he could.

"Also, simultaneously, opening a doorway to other dimensions, times and realities!" Sally finished.

"I don't believe you!" Aaron doubtfully said. Sam was now fully awake.

"Ahhhhhhh!" She screamed as she came to her senses.

"It's okay! It's okay! We're safe! You're with me!" Aaron comforted as best he could the scared young girl.

"This is incredible! I, Aaron Brandt, am standing here talking to Sonic Hedgehog and Princess Sally Elisha Acorn!" Aaron exclaimed.

"Shouldn't we head back to Knothole and see what's been going on in our absence?" Sonic asked.

"I think it better! Let's get going!" Sally ordered. "We'll talk more when we get back to the village." Sally said to the two humans walking alongside her.

Uncle Chuck had made it to Knothole from his lab outside of Robotropolis.

"Good God! The King's back! What's wrong with him?" Uncle Chuck asked.

"We're not sure… he just came out of my portal about ten minutes ago! When he came out, he said; "There's not much… Doomsday." Then he passed out." Rotor explained.

"But, you're talking animals! Animals don't talk! At least they're not supposed to!" Sam said. Aaron ran and grabbed his backpack and put the two emeralds from the car in it.

"Sam, when Sega originally created the whole Sonic The Hedgehog video game series, a surge in the programming department created a permanent dimensional rip. Everything Sega tried could not hold the rip shut. Finally, they managed to trap the rip in a game cartridge." Aaron explained as he caught up with the others.

"So, where you come from, we are just some kind of game?" Sally asked. Sam was standing next to Sally, realizing how tall Sally was.

"Well… all I want to know is what are we going to do? We don't have any road to get up to speed to jump dimensions!" Sam said.

"Well… if you want, you can live with us for a while. But, if things get hairy, we'll have to pack up and move out. Also, we'll have to try to explain your guys' being here to the others once we get back to the village." Sonic said.

(End of Chapter 5) 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 New in town

"Well, Sam. It looks like we'll be staying here for a while." Aaron said. Sam was worried and it showed.

"Can't we find an open field or a flat hill so we can go home?" Sam asked. Aaron did not like being away from his labs any more than Sam liked being away from home, but he did not see how they could make it off this mysterious planet.

"They may need our help! And, we don't have a level enough stretch of land to get up to speed on." Aaron explained. Aaron held her closer to him. Sam was softly crying.

On the western side of Knothole, Drago had just walked into Hershey's hut. Drago and Hershey had been going out for almost three months, but lately Hershey had a feeling that Drago was up to no good.

"Drago! What're you doing here?" Hershey asked, just as startled as grateful. Her hut was as welcoming inside as it was outside; high ceiling, delicately framed windows, small flowerbed outside the kitchen window.

"Well, I've got some bad news. The King is back!" He angrily shouted as he poured himself a drink. Hershey knew Drago had a mean streak that ran through him, but this was really the first time that she had seen it show itself.

"You call that bad news?" Hershey asked. She then thought to herself that she would never understand Drago.

"It deadens my chance at the throne!" He shouted. Then, he remembered. He remembered how much Hershey hated Snively. He thought to himself, "There's an optically-altered mask of Sonic in the closet. If I can have someone kill Sally, and hide the King, I'll get the throne! And, if Robo gets back soon, he might let me detonate the Ultimate Annihilator!" Drago was in line to assume the throne the moment Sally stepped down from her position as Princess. He had been one of the King's guards before the war with Robotnik began. He knew that if anything happened to the Princess, he would be the one to assume leadership.

He laughed to himself and then said, "I hear that Snively is planning on ambushing the Freedom Fighters!" Hershey had lost her parents to Snively's war machines when she was ten. She was still determined to get Snively back.

"What is he planning on doing to Knothole?" Hershey angrily asked. It was working as Drago had planned.

"He plans to carry Robotnik's Doomsday device into the village and detonate it in the middle of town." Drago explained. Hershey grabbed her binoculars and started out the door, but was stopped by Drago.

"But, Snively will recognize you! You need a mask so that Snively will not know who is attacking him!" Drago said as he grabbed the mask of Sonic. "He'll try to break into his bosses office to get the codes for the device. Do whatever you can to have him take a hard fall!" Drago informed Hershey. Hershey put the rest of the costume on. Once she got the costume on, she left for Robotropolis.

Back at the Knothole Infirmary, Doctor Quack had just finished hooking the King up to his medical computers.

"I hope the computers can figure out what is happening to His Majesty!" Quentin said. Unknown to even the good Doctor, a shadow that looked like it had been there all the time spoke up.

"Your computers can't help at all! Only the King's magical sword can cure the King of his ailments." The shadow, which had moved to the doorway, said. The shadow stepped forward and presented itself in the light of the OR.

"What the…? Oh, it's you Knuckles! Please help us out on this one!" Tails pleaded with Knuckles. Quentin unhooked his computers and shut them off. Knuckles walked into the room.

"As I said, the only way to cure the King of any ailments is with his sword." Knuckles explained.

"Well, where can we find this magical sword?" Rotor asked while checking his database.

"It should be in Robo's main office." Knuckles answered. The three of them looked from one to the other, finally deciding silently on a course of action.

Sonic, Aaron, Sally, and Sam were meanwhile trying to pick their way through an old over-grown trail that led to the old tree stump. The old tree stump led to the Underground Knothole Village, which had been abandoned since Robotnik had discovered its whereabouts. The Freedom Fighters still used the Oak slide to get to Knothole Village just so that it would maybe confuse Robotnik. Sonic reached up and grabbed a vine and pulled on it. Suddenly, there was a violent tremor originating from deep within the planet itself. Almost immediately, the tree stump crumbled and was buried under a fallen tree.

"What's happening?" Aaron yelled over the rumbling. Sally motioned for Sam to give her the computer.

"Princess, according to what data I could collect… it appears that Planet Earth and Planet Mobius are merging." Nicole, Sally's computer, said. The tremors were subsiding. After a few more seconds, the tremors had stopped all together.

"What were you saying, Nicole?" Sally asked. The small computers lights blinked, and then she repeated what she had said.

"How much longer until both planets are completely merged?" Aaron asked the computer.

"There is about fifty hours until the two planets are completely… incoming message." Nicole said, but was interrupted as she received a message.

"Princess, is that you?" A static-laden voice said through Nicole's speaker.

"Rotor! Where are you?" Sally exclaimed, happy to hear Rotor's voice.

"We are in my lab. We have a worse dilemma than you do, I'm sure!" Rotor explained.

"What's going on in the village, aside from the quake?" Sally asked.

"There are structures and oceans popping up all over the place! What's causing all this stuff?" Rotor's scratchy voice asked. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a big lightening storm and a bunch of roads. Things started to completely change across all of Mobius; rivers appearing out of nowhere, polar ice caps and trees growing where none existed before including under the drivers side of Aaron's Lamborghini causing it to flip over onto the roof.

"Oh, shi…" Aaron started to say, but stopped when Sam shot him a warning glance. She hated hearing people swear for any reason. Aaron caught his tongue before the last part of the word managed to slip off it.

"Sorry, but our ride home just rolled onto its roof and it's almost impossible to flip it back over." Aaron explained, the tension showing through his voice.

"I'm not entirely sure what's causing it, but just to let you know, me and Sonic are bringing two humans back to the village. I'm sure we'll have time to explain this to you once we get back there. Over and out." Sally said into her little computer, which was doubling as a radio.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you two back home, separate the two planets and defeat Robotnik yet!" Sonic enthusiastically told Aaron and Sam. Sally gave Sonic that look that seemed to quietly say, "I wish it were that simple." She closed Nicole, slipped the computer into her vest pocket, and led the others back to the village.

(End of Chapter 6) 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Free fall

"This has been one long day! How much further until we get to Knothole?" Sam asked.

"About another half hour, maybe. We have to be in by sundown, though." Sonic answered.

"Why do we hafta be in by sundown?" Aaron asked.

"We have spotted robots wandering through the forest at night, but lately they have developed chameleon-type qualities making them super-hard to see." Sally explained.

"Think we should all hang onto each others shoulders and have you do the running? Because, if I remember right, there's like another mile or two until we hit the village." Aaron suggested to Sonic. Aaron remembered making that map of Mobius based on the map that was provided in the comic book once; he had spent close to a month drawing it and redrawing it to get it exactly to scale in proportion to Earth.

"Alright, I get to try out my new move! Hold on… 'cause here we go!" Sonic said as he peeled out and off they went. Within a matter of seconds, they arrived at Knothole. They let go of each other's shoulders and started towards the inner village circle.

"I'm going to go find Rotor and find out what's been going on in our absence." Sally said as she headed to the Infirmary. Aaron, Sam, and Sonic followed her.

"Rotor! Where are you?" Sally called out.

"Princess, you're here. We have good news and bad news." Rotor announced.

"Bad news and then the good news." Sally instructed.

"Okay, the bad news is this; the merging of the planets is accelerating… already twenty-five percent of both planets has become one. The good news is… is… um, you better see for yourself." Rotor said as he led the Princess into the Emergency Room. Upon entering, the scene in front of her was a total shock. Lying on a bed was the one person she never thought she would see again, completely hooked up to Doctor Quack's life support systems.

"Oh… my… God! Daddy! What's happening to him?" Sally cried.

"Princess, we have no clue as to what is happening to him. All we know at this point is that he suddenly fell out of my portal about two hours ago and he's only said one thing since he got out of it: 'There's… not… much… Doomsday'." Dr. Quack said as he attended to the King. Just then, Aaron, Sam, and Sonic entered the ER.

"Great Scott!" Sam exclaimed.

"My God!" Aaron gasped.

"Holy crap! It's the King!" Sonic gasped as he beheld the scene in front of him.

"What is happening to him? He seems to be changing." Sam observed.

"Do you think a Chaos Emerald might help reverse it?" Aaron asked.

"Who are you and where do you think you're gonna get a Chaos Emerald? Last I heard Robotnik had the last useable emeralds." Rotor explained.

"Not entirely true," Aaron said as he set his backpack on the floor, "I have two of them. I use them to power my car." He said as he handed them to Rotor. "I'm Aaron and this is Sam." Aaron said as he introduced himself and Sam.

"Where'd you get'm from?" Knuckles asked from the shadows.

"I found'em back on my home planet in my garage." Aaron explained to Knuckles, who was obviously irritated. Sally was knelt beside her father in silent prayer. She got up and came over to where Aaron, Sonic, and Sam were standing.

"Sonic, we must get into Robotnik's HQ and get the Sword of Acorns so we can get the King back and finish this thing after all these years." Sally explained with tears in her eyes. Sonic wiped the tears from her eyes and took her hand.

"How about this as a plan: we send two teams, each team covers the other. How should we infiltrate the building?" Geoffrey St. John, who had been in the emergency room watching from the corner, asked.

"I think the stronger team should take it from the inside and search from the ground floor up while the other team takes the outside and climbs up the wall and go straight to the office to get the sword. We'll rendezvous at the top floor and both teams go back down one way." Sally explained.

"We'll have fifteen minutes to get the two teams together and as well armed as possible with what we have." Antoine suggested. At that, the small gathering broke up as everyone went around gathering everyone who wanted to go. They then went to the village armory and got what weapons they had.

"Sally, are you sure you want to go through with this? What if it falls through? Is it worth that kind of risk?" Sonic asked.

"Are we gonna come with or are we gonna stay here?" Aaron asked.

"It would probably be better if you guys stayed here. We can't risk your lives to save our King's." Sally explained. Aaron turned to Rotor,

"As I'm sure you're wondering how we came to be here, I'll explain it quickly for you. For the past few months, I had been designing a portal that must be very similar to one around here. When I started it up, I gave it the destination Mobius and went through it. Sam here fell into it when she tried to pull me out of it. Somehow, Sonic's and my bodies merged into one same as Sam and Sally. We spent the next day as normal, but got freaked out by the new factory that appeared across the street from our school. I called my car to the school and we fled here. Upon arriving, Sonic and Sally separated from me and Sam and Sonic and Sally brought us back here." Aaron explained as quickly as he could.

"Well, you arrived right on time. As we speak, we're about to enter into what may be the final battle for our planet." Rotor said as he listened to the radio communications coming from Robotropolis and watched out the one window in his lab as St. John and Sally went around to try to gather some more citizens for their teams.

Hershey had arrived at Robotropolis. She was on the roof of Robotnik's Command Center waiting for Snively to show his face. Hershey put on the fake Sonic head. She then looked down and saw Snively and an army of SWATbots approaching. Hershey got ready and waited to see what he would do.

St. John and his team had already begun the infiltration of the ground floor while Sally and her team worked on launching the grappling hook so that it caught on the upper edge of the wall.

"I'll go first. Everyone follow my lead." Princess Sally instructed. She started slowly and was halfway up within a minute. Her instincts told her to look up and to her surprise, she saw Sonic looking down over the edge. Sally reached her hand up and Sonic brushed it away. Sally stared in both surprise and curiosity as to why Sonic had brushed her hand away, but did not have a chance to ask. Sonic then reached over the edge and cut the rope with a pocketknife. Immediately, Sally began falling the seven floors she had just climbed. After what seemed like an eternity, she hit the ground.

"Oh, mah stars!" Bunnie gasped.

(End of Chapter 7) 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Long Way Down

"Aunt Sally!" Tails screamed. St. John, who was covering the inside of the building, knew nothing of what had happened outside. He had his own problems to worry about such as how to get to the next level. Eventually, they figured out how to operate Robotnik's elevator. They ran into yet another problem because from what could read, the elevator only went up to the second floor. After playing around with the controls for a little while they managed to find a map of the office tower.

"Robotnik's main office is located on the tenth floor and from what this shows the only way to get there is through the duct work system." Geoffrey explained as he worked the computers.

"Which way?" Lenny asked. St. John consulted the map and his compass.

"Looks like straight up matey. What I'm wonderin' is how, we're gonna get up there." Geoffrey answered. They both looked up above them and thought about the problem facing them.

Meanwhile, Sally's team was working on how to get her back to Knothole as fast as possible.

"Outta the way! Comin' though. This is important, so move it!" Bunnie Rabbot said as she scooped the Princess up and went running full speed back to Knothole. Less then two minutes later, she arrived at Knothole's Infirmary.

"Dr. Quack! Help! Hurry!" Bunnie shouted as she ran into the Infirmary. Dr. Quack came out of the Emergency Room and could not believe his eyes.

"What happened? How'd this happen?" Quack asked.

"She was leading the invasion and was working on climbing the outside of Robotnik's headquarters to get the King's sword when Sonic cut her rope…" Bunnie trailed off. Dr. Quack called to the rest of the Infirmary.

"Prep OR-2. We've got another extremely important patient on her way in!"

"Now, who is it?" One of the other doctors asked.

"Unfortunately, it is the Princess. She took a nasty fall and possibly injured her spine and neck in the fall." He explained. Doctor Quack punched in a code on a keyboard that let Rotor know that the plan was in full swing. Drago watched from the steps of his hut, his face a confusion of emotions. Some real, others not with sadness being the main one that he had to fake.

"Radio St. John and have him capture Sonic. Preferably alive if at all possible. And tell him not to hurt the hedgehog too badly." Drago ordered. He then turned and went back to Hershey's hut. As Drago arrived at Hershey's hut, she came running back.

"I killed Snively!" Hershey happily exclaimed to Drago. Drago laughed out loud, but stopped when Hershey shot him a curious glance. "Where is the Princess? I've gotta tell her all about this!" Drago suppressed another burst of laughter.

"I've got bad news… you just killed her. The Sonic costume made it look like Sonic did it. You gullible fool! You killed your beloved Princess! And, probably the hedgehog too!" Drago laughed. Hershey ran out of her hut and ran blindly into the dark forest, not knowing where she was going.

"How're they doin'?" Bunnie asked, very worried for the safety of the King and Princess. In Robotropolis, both teams had reached the room in which Robotnik kept the magical Sword of Acorns. Back in Knothole, Rotor was carefully monitoring the convergence of the planets.

"St. John, we've only got thirteen hours until the two planets have merged completely. So, hurry up with that sword and get it back here on the double. Copy." Rotor said into the radio.

"Uh, roger. Any word on where the Princess is? I'm looking over the ledge she was supposed to be coming up and I can't see her. Over." St. John reported.

"Bad news. She's back here in the Infirmary. She's in tough shape. She may not make it through the night. Alert everyone to be on the lookout for Sonic. He was the bastard who did this. Drago wants him brought back alive. Over." There were a few seconds of silence.

"A big ten-four. If we see him, he's ours. You just do what you can for the Princess and the King."

"All right. Over and out. And, hurry for all our sakes." Rotor said into the radio and then walked back into the Infirmary.

"Doc, what's her diagnosis? Give it to me straight… I can take it." Rotor asked. Doctor Quentin Quack took a deep breath and then said,

"The King has stabilized and seems okay, but as for the Princess, her condition is rapidly deteriorating. My staff and I have done all we can do with what limited technology we have… I'm sorry. If we only had access to a more powerful computer, I may be able to do something." Quentin explained. Aaron, who had been watching the monitors for Sally, had an idea.

"Rotor, would the computers from my car be sufficient? It's the most sophisticated computer we have access to… for the time being." Aaron suggested. Samantha was knelt beside the Princess in silent prayer.

"I say we wait until tomorrow. Night has fallen and with it a wave of patrolling robots." Rotor said. Rotor looked at Quack and hoped that everything would go as it had been planned.

Back on Earth, Robotnik had begun his assimilation of humankind, thereby securing his role as the Supreme ruler of Earth and eventually, Mobius.

"Sir, there's a problem with the machines." Snively said.

"What'? What's wrong with them? What's happening?" Robotnik growled. Snively looked at the monitors and various displays.

"As it appears, the generators are being affected by the convergence of the planets. We will be without a source of power in about two hours." Snively reported. Robotnik grinned.

"Once the two planets are merged completely, I can use the Ultimate Annihilator to destroy both worlds at once. And, once I am rid of the meddling hedgehog, I can proceed with my plans.' Robotnik chuckled. Robotnik had used one of the portals that Sonic unwittingly provided to jump to Earth and start the roboticization process on Earth. He had only brought along his deadliest device in the event that it was needed.

"Sire, I give you the great kingdom of Robotropolis." Snively proudly said as the city appeared on the horizon. Robotnik's grin grew wider.

That night as almost everyone, even Doctor Robotnik who had not slept soundly for the past ten years, slept deep enough to dream. As each slept and dreamt, they dreamt of how they had gotten to the point they now were at.

(End of Chapter 8) 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Night

While the rest of the village slept, Rotor and Aaron stayed up. They were in Rotor's lab working on the computers.

"I never thought I'd see the day that I actually work with someone known as an Overlander. Here on Mobius, you guys are hated and not allowed to come near the village or us due to one Overlander almost conquering the planet." Rotor explained.

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day I sat down and had a conversation with a purple talking walrus. As for the King; has anyone considered using the King's sword in conjunction with a chaos emerald?" Aaron asked. As Aaron asked this, both teams arrived back at Knothole.

"Hey, guys! Over here at the Infirmary! Hurry!" Bunnie, the guard that night, said.

"What's up? Where's Sally? What's going on?" St. John said as he led his team to the Infirmary.

"What'cha want? The good news or the bad?" Bunnie asked as she led them to Rotor's lab.

"I dunno about the rest of ya, but I want the good news first." Geoffrey said.

"We now have the Princess and the King in the Infirmary. The bad news is that we can't do anything for either of them at the moment." Bunnie said.

"May I go in to see them?"

"I'm sorry, but I have strict orders from Dr. Quack that no one, under any circumstances, is allowed in." Bunnie said.

"Can you take me to the doctor then? I must give him the sword in person." Geoffrey asked. Bunnie nodded and then led them to Rotor's lab.

"Rotor, I'm sorry to interrupt you. We have something you guys desperately need." Bunnie said, then stepped back and let Geoffrey enter.

"Doctor Quack… I give you the Sword of Acorns." He said as he presented the sword to the doctor. The doctor accepted the sword.

"Now, let's just hope we can figure out how to use it." Rotor said under his breath.

"There's only one person who can use it besides the King… that person is Princess Sally." Said a voice from behind them.

"Knuckles, I do wish you'd stop sneaking up on us like that! You've heard what Sonic did? If you see him, capture him with whatever means you must use and bring him to Drago. In the meantime, you must stay out from underfoot. Sally is getting worse by the hour, the King is stabilized and the planets are sixty percent merged. All we can do is hope it ends soon." As the doctor said this, there was a flash and then nothing.

"What happened? Where's my power?" Quack demanded.

"Doc, we have lost power to all of Knothole. I can't get the backup generators to start up, but the backup batteries should kick in a couple seconds, but they won't help a whole lot." Rotor explained. The moment Princess Sally's heart monitor came back on, it showed that she had flat-lined.

"Start CPR! We can't afford to lose her now!" Doctor Quack ordered. After five minutes, they still had nothing. The team of medics had given up and stood around the operating table upon which Sally lay. Doctor Quack glanced at Rotor and they both knew that it would all work out perfectly.

"Oh, God! Is… she… de… dead?" Samantha quietly asked.

"I'm sorry… but yes; she is dead. I just can't believe that Sonic actually killed her." Rotor softly said with tears in his eyes.

Aaron walked out of the Infirmary running what had just happened through his head. He walked Samantha back to her hut. "You sleep tight. I don't want anything to happen to you. And, remember I love you." Aaron said as he hugged her good night. Aaron then walked back to his hut and settled in for the night.

That night, as Knothole slept, Drago carried out the second part of the plan. The plan was to replace the real King with a robotic King that would take over Knothole and surrender the village to Robotnik and his army. Once he was sure Knothole was asleep, he snuck into the Infirmary and after carefully unhooking the medical monitors and life support systems, he quietly wheeled the King into one of the back storage rooms and then carried the robotic King into the Infirmary. He carefully hooked the machines back up to the King and placed him upon a medical bed and went back to his hut. Quietly laughing to himself, he fell asleep. His sleep was troubled by dreams of him approaching Robotnik to accept this job.

Aaron had no such luck falling asleep. At three thirty in the morning, after tossing and turning for the last few hours, he got up and walked outside to have a cigarette. As Aaron surveyed the village from outside his hut, he noticed that the door to the Infirmary was slightly ajar. He put the cigarette out and went to investigate. He walked over and found that the Infirmary's door had been forced open from the outside.

Aaron quickly went through the Infirmary and found nothing was amiss. He got his sleeping bag from his car and set it up outside the Infirmary door blocking it. The next four hours passed uneventfully.

At eight o'clock in the morning by his watch, the sun made its first appearance on the horizon, which Aaron just happened to face. Finding it would be useless to try to sleep any more, he got up and set about assessing how much damage had been done to the Infirmary. Other than the door, nothing else seemed to be amiss. He walked into OR1 to check on the King and had the shock of his life; the King was sitting up in bed. Upon seeing this, Aaron ran to get Rotor.

"Rotor! It's the King! He's conscious! Get Doctor Quack! Hurry!" He shouted as he ran down to Rotor's hut. As soon as Rotor realized what Aaron was saying was the breakthrough they needed to end all this madness, he got up and went over to the Infirmary as fast as possible. Aaron continued on, waking up the King's former royal guards and anyone else who had been attached to the King in some way or another. After everyone else was on his or her way to the Infirmary, Aaron made his way to Sam's hut.

"Samantha! Time to wake up! We have lots to do today!" Aaron called from outside her door. There was no answer from inside the hut. He slowly opened the door and found that she was not in her hut. Aaron closed the door and turned around. To his surprise, Sam was right behind him.

"Girl, you scared the crap outta me! What're you doing up so early?" Aaron asked. Samantha had a sad look upon her face.

"I've been helping ready the memorial for the Princess. We were able to build a glass coffin for the viewing. We even arranged for a Catholic burial under my guidance." Aaron was still saddened by the death of the Princess, but was at the same time overjoyed with the return of the King. Aaron explained to Sam what had transpired in her short absence and they made their way hurriedly to the Infirmary. As he and Sam entered the ER, they dreaded the moment the King was told of Sally's fate. They arrived right on time, for as they entered, Bunnie was telling the King what happened.

"…And as she scaled the wall, Sonic reached over and cut the rope. She fell the seven stories she had climbed. When I got to her, she was not breathing. We did all we could with what we have. I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Bunnie finished before she ran off crying.

"Finally I am rid of that spoiled brat. As your King, I demand that all activity be cleared through me from now on." The King commanded. Samantha could not believe her ears; Sally had told her how caring he was before the betrayal and now he sat here giving orders like nothing had ever happened to him. Aaron turned and angrily stormed out of the Infirmary towards the lab.

"Rotor! What's with the King? One moment, he's a vegetable and the next he's giving orders like he was never captured and imprisoned. Think it's an after affect of his being isolated for so many years?" Aaron asked. Rotor shook his head and then said,

"I'm not sure, but I'm gonna find out. First thing I'm gonna do now is bring the Princess back."

"What'cha talking about? We all saw it! You said it yourself… we can't do anything else for her." Rotor packed a few of his gadgets into a bag and headed for the door.

"At least, that's what you saw. What you see is not always the truth. Follow me and I'll try to explain this to you." Rotor instructed. As the two of them left the lab, Sam came walking up the path towards them.

"Hey guys! Where you off to in such a hurry?" She curiously asked.

"We're on a mission of utmost urgency. We're going to bring back the Princess." Sam stared uncomprehendingly at Rotor.

"She's dead. We all saw it!" Sam said, close to tears.

"Come with us. I'm sure Rotor will answer any questions we may have." Aaron said, still not sure what exactly Rotor had up his sleeve. They arrived at Sally's glass coffin. Immediately, Rotor removed a panel at the foot of the base upon which the coffin sat. He then hooked a small computer up to whatever was housed within the base. After hitting a few buttons, there was a hiss of escaping gas and the top raised up exposing the Princess. For a few seconds, she remained motionless and then she sat up and began coughing and gasping for air at the same time. Rotor gently patted her back to help her get over her coughing spell.

"Sally, you're alright! Thank God you're back! But, how? We all saw…" Aaron trailed off. Sally hopped down off the coffin and slipped her boots back on.

"What you saw was a plan designed to fool all who were present into believing that I had died. My death was all planned out." Sally explained, turning to Rotor.

"Our plan was for Sally to take a small wound and be brought back here, where she would supposedly die. The reason for the plan is that we believe we have a traitor in our midst. And to tell you the truth, it could be anyone. We don't suspect you two because we have no reason to; you wouldn't have any reason to betray us. The plan was for the Princess to be out of the picture for a week while we searched for the traitor, but when we found out he was better, we decided to abort the plan. We figure the King will listen to his own daughter. Also, we managed to get the Sword back. It's in my lab under lock and key." Rotor finished. Aaron was still a bit confused by the plan.

"I say we bring the Princess back to Knothole, then we try to straighten the rest of this mess out." Aaron suggested. Quickly, Rotor packed his equipment up and once he had it ready, they left for the remains of the castle.

(End of Chapter 9) 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 King Maximillian Acorn

Upon arriving at the ruins, they noticed that there were an awful lot of guards marching around the perimeter.

"Friends, hang back. I don't want to get you in trouble because of me. I should only be a few minutes." Sally said as she entered the main chambers. The guards kept a suspicious eye on Aaron and Sam.

"Daddy! I can't believe you're really back after all these years! We have so much to catch up on…" Sally exclaimed as she ran up to the King's throne. She stopped short when she set eyes on the King's cold stare.

"Sally, you have disobeyed me one too many times. I warned you not to go around with the hedgehog and you disobeyed me. I warned you to be careful about what you go around doing and you disobeyed me. You have disobeyed me most of your life and now you're hanging around with Overlanders? Wench… bring me my whips." The King said to Rosie who cowered in the corner. Before she could even react, King Acorn pressed a button set into his chair arm and Rosie obediently stood straight up and marched towards the throne. Along the way she passed by a rack of whips, chains and other devices of torture. She grabbed the whips and brought them to the King, then left the room.

"No… daddy! Please don't!" Sally screamed. King Acorn ignored her and proceeded to whip her. With each strike of the whips, Sally cried out in pain. She managed to get to her feet and ran for the door. She made it out the door before she fainted.

Meanwhile on Earth, Robotnik gleefully watched as the robot he had made whipped the Princess.

"Snively, I want you to begin roboticizing the inhabitants of this measly planet. By the time the two planets are completely merged, I want at least half of the population roboticized. Is that clear?" Robotnik ordered.

"Yes, over-weight one. Commencing start-up procedures now!" Snively announced as he brought the machines online.

Upon seeing her, Sam found she could not find the necessary strength to stand up and go over to help Sally. Her vest was torn and streaked with blood and her back was cut up something bad.

"Geez! What the hell'd she say to him in there?" Aaron asked quietly. Sam glared at him and Aaron realized that he had slipped. Just then, St. John happened by.

"Bloody hell! What's going on around here? Who did this?" Geoffrey asked as he dropped to his knees to help the Princess.

"Call me crazy, but I think it was the King." Aaron offered. St. John looked at him as if he had just lost his mind.

"That's gotta be the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Geoffrey said, clearly doubting what he had just been told.

"I say we get her back to the Infirmary and then we debate what happened." Samantha spoke out. They had started towards the Infirmary when St. John's radio beeped.

"Yeah… what is it?"

"Sir, we have the hedgehog in sight. Please advise."

"Where are you? What's he doing?"

"We are five minutes from the old tree stump. It appears he is coming back to Knothole from the city via the old trail."

"I'm on my way. Use a tranquilizer arrow if needed; just don't let him get away." They had arrived at the hut that passed for a hospital. The group with Sally in tow burst through the doors. Rotor was hard at work on one of his computers.

"Rotor, where's the doctor?" Sam asked hurriedly.

"I'll get him. What happened?" Rotor asked as he paged the doctor.

"We're not sure really. We think it might have been the King." Aaron explained.

"Take care of the Princess and keep her safe. Something's not right around here and I intend to get to the bottom of it. And those are orders." St. John ordered as he ran out the door. As he left, the doctor arrived back.

"Now what? What happened to the Princess? Rotor, you gotta figure out how to stop the merging before we lose any more of the forest."

"Here's what I have so far: the only way I can see to reverse it is to open two more portals opposite the existing ones which would then pull the planets apart and everything would go back to normal, hopefully. The only glitch I can see is: where are we going to get two more portals? And, not only that, but how would we open it where we need to?" Rotor explained.

"In the meantime, the doctor would like to know what happened to her? Who did this?" Quentin asked. Aaron answered solemnly,

"I hate to say it but the King did this." Doctor Quack quickly stitched her back up and laid her upon one of the hospital beds. The rest of the night was spent trying to build two more portals and figure out how and where to place them to pull the planets apart.

In the morning, Sam woke up first to the sound of crying coming from somewhere near the center of the village. Samantha got up and got dressed and went to investigate. As she got closer to the Infirmary, the crying grew in volume. She came to the Infirmary and found nothing. She searched around the corners and found the source of the crying. Sally was hiding in the shadows of the building, crying uncontrollably. Samantha slowly approached the Princess and knelt down beside her.

"What's wrong, Princess?" Sally sniffled.

"I was whipped by my own dad! How messed up is that? I… he didn't even seem to know who I was. He even destroyed the vest Julayla gave to me on her deathbed. It can't be fixed or repaired or anything. What am I going to do? He doesn't seem like the dad I once knew… my dad was really nice before the betrayal. And… and…" Sally said before bursting into tears again.

"Sally, I'm sure we have the materials to fix your vest back on Earth and we're working on figuring out what's wrong with the King as we speak. We have the best people working on it as we speak. Come on, it's cold out here and I don't want you to get sick or something. I'll make you something to eat back inside." Sam calmingly said to the Princess. Sally stood up and Sam guided her back into the Infirmary.

At the old tree stump, Geoffrey and his men had managed to capture Sonic. Without saying a word, they dragged him back to Knothole where the King was waiting to sentence him. After wandering aimlessly for a day and a half, Hershey realized she was getting more and more lost as she continued walking. And, as the planet's convergence neared completion, Sonic was brought before the King to receive his sentence.

(End of Chapter 10) 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The sentence

"Sonic, you have been brought here on charges which you have brought against yourself. The charges are as follows: attempted murder of my daughter, obstruction of justice, and ignorance of the law. After carefully reviewing your case, I have come to a final decision. You shall undergo roboticization and thereafter become my personal slave." The King read from the sheet of parchment he held.

"Sire, you know that I would never endanger your daughter's or your lives. Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider…" Sonic pleaded.

"Save me your pitiful whining… your pleads are only falling on emotionless ears. Your fate has been decided and thus it shall go… for it is what your future ruler, Doctor Robotnik, would have done. This court is adjourned." The King said as the guards escorted Sonic to his holding cell. The few people who were allowed into the court chambers were ushered out by the rest of the guards, leaving just the King and Sally in the courtroom.

"I also have a plan for you, my dear. You will be the one to throw the switch that will roboticize your beloved hedgehog." Said the King coldly. Sally was speechless; nothing had made any sense to her since the arrival of the two humans and this merely compounded the confusion. As she tried to make sense of this and come to terms with what she had seen and what had happened to her, the King and Sally walked back into the dining room in the heart of the palace. Sonic's sentence seemed so bitterly harsh to her even considering what Sonic had done to her and the fact that his whereabouts were unknown the past two days, and she was about to say something to the King to try to affect his judgment when he stopped and turned to her. To her shock and surprise, the King reached up, grabbed his head by his ears, and pulled his head off revealing a robotic face and head underneath.

Sally screamed and ran out of the room before even the robotic King could react. Upon running full speed out of the dining room, she ran into Aaron and Sam.

"Sally, slow down! Where you off to so fast?" Samantha asked.

"No time to explain. I finally figured it out. What we thought was our King is really a robot. We must destroy it before it hands Knothole over to Robotnik. It also wants to roboticize Sonic!" Sally explained as they hurried to Rotor's laboratory.

"Rotor! We need your help! The King isn't really the King and he… it wants to roboticize Sonic and make him a slave for life while handing the village over to Robotnik!" Aaron said as they burst into the lab. Rotor was in the back working on something when they arrived and he came out as soon as Aaron started trying to explain what was going on to him.

"Slow down. I just found out about it and I'm trying to shut it down. Sally and Samantha, I want you to search the Infirmary and try to figure out where the real King is hidden. Go now. I and Aaron will take care of the imposter." Rotor commanded. The two young women immediately left for the Infirmary.

"Rotor, have you checked all of the radio frequencies for any type of transmission or communication?" Aaron suggested right away.

"No, but I can start. Have you come up with any ideas on how to separate the planets?" Rotor asked as he started his computers on a new task.

"Not yet… I'm not even sure it can be done. Wait… is there a way to reverse the polarity of the field that the portal generator creates? Because maybe all we need to do is reverse the polarity of one portal so they repel each other and push themselves apart. Let's just hope the girls find the King before Robotnik can carry out his twisted plans."

As Sam and Sally walked towards the Knothole Infirmary, Sally noticed that there was an army of roboticized Mobians cleaning up the rubble of the former Acorn palace.

"Okay, the target is at twelve o'clock. Let's hurry." Samantha said. They hurried to the Infirmary and began searching. After about ten minutes, they had searched every inch of it and found nothing. They left the Infirmary through the back door and were shocked at what they found. They found the King on his stretcher sitting right inside the forest behind the building. They ran over to where the King was and immediately checked to see if he still had a pulse and was breathing… he was still alive. Sally remembered being told shortly after she was brought back that the Sword of Acorns had been recovered and was currently at Rotor's lab under lock and key. Sally sprinted back to the lab, took the key from Rotor's desk and got the sword then ran back to where the King was.

Sally immediately began passing the sword above the King's body while reciting something in another language. The sword glowed as she spoke and the side of the King's body that had crystallized changed back to flesh and bone. Almost immediately, the King sat straight up and began gasping for air.

Robotnik detected that the real King had been found and instructed the robotic King to self-destruct at the edge of the Great Forest.

"Snively, do we have the hedgehog yet?" The evil genius asked.

"No, your roundness. He is still en route to the fortress. It should be about three more minutes." Snively said.

"Excellent. Excellent!" Doctor Robotnik cackled while he rubbed his hands together in anticipation of completely disabling the Freedom Fighters. He knew that without the hedgehog, they would be unable to touch him. He just hoped that the guards would not hear about the King's recovery before they got to the city.

Meanwhile, Knothole was having trouble of their own.

"Radio Geoffrey! Tell him to bring Sonic back here right now! We're back in business, guys!" Sally happily announced as she brought the King into the lab for the first time in ten long years.

"Dear, there are Overlanders amongst us! What's happened all these years?" A confused King said as he looked over the scene in front of him. Sally took a deep breathe and tried to explain what all had happened the past ten years as fast as possible.

"Father, the day after you were thrown into what had been named the Zone Of Silence, Sonic formed what is called the Freedom Fighters. Since that day we have been trying, unsuccessfully, to overthrow Doctor Ivo Robotnik, formerly Julian Kintobar. With Sonic's speed, my leadership, and Antoine D'coolette's military skills, we are striving to undo the damage he has done. Lately, we have had the added assistance of two Earthly humans; Aaron and Samantha." Sally explained to a still confused King Acorn.

"Then, I guess I should ask how the fight is going. What's this about having someone bring Sonic back? Where's Earth?" The King asked.

"Let me handle this one, Princess. A couple days ago, we suddenly got you back. We're still not sure how or anything, but obviously, you're the real thing. You dropped out of the portal that I had built to try to get you back someday… on your arrival, your body started to crystallize before our eyes. With the assistance of Doctor Quentin Quack, we were able to slow the process down, but not reverse it. Knowing that Robotnik had taken the Sword Of Acorns the day he captured and imprisoned you in the Zone, we set about trying to get it back. We got it back, but there was one problem: Sally nearly got killed when someone who looked like Sonic cut Sally's rope. Fortunately, she had a soft landing, and the only thing that happened was she got the wind knocked out of her. We had had a feeling for the past year that there was a traitor in our midst, we just didn't know who." Rotor explained. Doctor Quack came out from behind a stack of machinery and computers to explain the rest.

"In order to try to catch the traitor, we hatched a scheme. Sally would take some sort of injury that could be fatal if taken just right. Her fall was all we needed to put the plan into effect. She was brought back here and with Rotor's computer knowledge and my medical knowledge, it looked as if she had died on the table. All the time, she was totally fine… just in a state of suspended animation whereas her vitals were slowed to the point that she looked to be dead, when in fact she was still alive. The traitor, who we think was Drago, replaced you with a robotic duplicate that was supposed to hand the village and everyone in it over to Robotnik. Your getting better through the use of the Sword of Acorns foiled his plans. While the robotic King was ruling, he sentenced the real Sonic to be roboticized and thereafter become his slave while he handed everything over to Robotnik." Doctor Quack explained.

"The Humans came from the fact that Aaron had built a very similar portal on his home planet that created a portal at the same time that Sonic accidentally started ours up and fell into it. Unfortunately, with both portals open at the same time, the resulting portals are now merging the two planets. Roughly, we have about ten hours before both planets are merged and even less time until Robotnik completes the roboticization of the inhabitants of both planets." Sally finished.

"Charles, this is Snively. Are you ready on your end?" Snively said into the radio while Robotnik recharged his circuits in his sleep chamber.

"I'm ready when you are. Does Robotnik know?" Uncle Chuck asked. Snively glanced over his shoulder and glanced at the monitors for the Doctor before answering.

"He doesn't suspect a thing. He'll never know what happened! Just be sure you guys get out of the city before it happens." The little bald man said into his wrist-worn communicator.

"You just make sure not to mess the plan up at all. Chuck out." Charles said before turning the radio off. "M'lady, someday we shall figure out how to sure you of whatever it is that you have. I think it is time to alert the King of your presence." Charles quietly said to the body resting in the cryo-tube. He got up and walked out of his bunker and started towards Knothole village. After about half an hour of walking, he arrived at the palace.

"Sir Charles Hedgehog. I am here to request a private audience with His Majesty, King Acorn. This is of dire importance." Without hesitation, the guard escorted him into the King's chamber. Upon entering, the guard left the room leaving Charles and the King alone.

"Sire, I know I look like a robot on the outside and that you don't remember much of anything at all, so please do not worry. I am here under my own free will. Ever since the wars between our kind and the Overlanders ended, I have had your wife, Queen Alicia Acorn, safe in my bunker in a cryo-tube. She is alive, but for some unknown reason, her body is rapidly aging." Charles explained.

"Take me to her."

(End of Chapter 11) 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Queen Alicia Acorn

"Great Scot! You're serious! What happened to her?" The King asked.

"I'm not sure. From the first x-rays I took of her body, I found there was a small white lump on one of her lungs, which I suspect was due to the chemicals or radiation she was exposed to when the Overlanders started the Great War so many years ago. She is also… her blood pressure has been rising since I found her and her white blood cell count has been falling as of late. I'm actually hoping that Aaron or Sam could maybe help diagnose her and maybe cure her of whatever it is she has." Rotor explained, reading part of it from Doctor Quack's notes.

"Why didn't you tell me about this immediately? Why did you wait?" King Acorn asked.

"We wanted to wait and make sure you were the real King before letting you know. I'm sorry Your Majesty, but we did not want to risk losing her again." Doctor Quack explained on entering. Sam then came into the room hauling one of Aaron's computers with her.

"What the devil is she doing here? How do you know she isn't a spy for Robotnik?" The King exclaimed as Sam walked into the bunker.

"Sire, I have no intention of harming you or your Kingdom. All I want to do is help you defeat Robotnik. But, right now, I have volunteered to help in trying to cure the Queen of whatever ails her." Sam explained.

"Should I get Sally?" King Max asked.

"Sire, you can go and get her, but I must have it as quiet as possible during whatever procedure will take place." Samantha said as she powered up her medical encyclopedia, which was on the computer she brought with her. She ushered out everyone except for Rotor and Doctor Quack, as she knew that she would need Rotor's computer knowledge and Quentin's medical knowledge for the procedure. Remembering what Quentin had said about her condition, she punched in the symptoms into the encyclopedia and waited as it searched through its database for a possible cause.

"Okay, according to this, she has lung cancer, a potentially lethal disease. Can you get x-rays through the tube she is in? Because, Quentin will need to know where it is before curing her of it." Sam looked up from the computer as she said this.

"Yes… I have been able to get pretty detailed ones of her while she has been in the tube. Charles, can you get the x-ray machine from the Infirmary and bring it here? And, hurry as much as possible." Quack asked through the intercom between the gallery and the temporary operating room. Charles hurried as fast as possible over to the Infirmary and retrieved the x-ray machine and brought it back to the bunker. While Charles brought back the machine, Sam and Quentin discussed how to treat it and the possible side effects from the treatment of it. After a few minutes, Sir Charles came back with the machine. After some tinkering, they were able to set it up so it would take several x-rays through the cryo-tube at varying angles.

"Okay… as it appears, the cancer is concentrated on the outside of her left lung. That means it should be somewhat easy to remove it. Dr. Quack, I hope you don't mind performing the actual surgery… I'm just an assistant nurse back on Earth. Rotor, if you would be so good as to watch her vitals during the procedure. How long will she last outside of the tube, Rotor?" Sam asked as she brought up the x-rays on the main viewer screen. Rotor ran a quick calculation on his computers.

"She should live about 45 minutes outside of there before this cancer continues its progression through her body. Will that be enough time?" Rotor asked while he setup the heart monitors and the breathing apparatus.

"It'll have to be. We may be cutting this a little close, but it should be enough time. Okay, bring her out of there." Sam said to Rotor and Doctor Quack. They walked over, inserted two keys into the corresponding keyholes, and turned them both at the same time. After a few seconds while the locks disengaged, there was a hiss of the cold air from inside the tube as it escaped into the area surrounding it. Rotor and Quentin carried the Queen over to the table and laid her upon it. As soon as they had her in place, Rotor hooked up the heart monitor and breathing equipment to her, then it was Quentin's turn to go to work. After about fifty minutes, Quentin was finally done with the procedure.

"Is the device ready?" Robotnik asked his somewhat incompetent assistant.

"I was even able to set it to home in on the hedgehog and take him out straight-away." Snively answered. Robotnik grinned and so did Snively as he ser the targeting systems to home in on Doctor Robotnik.

"Sir, the device is just about ready. I suggest we ready the transport and have them on standby." The little bald man said.

"Excellent. We shall be rid of the annoying hedgehog finally." Robotnik growled.

"Sire, the operation was a success. She may have to rest awhile before she awakens completely, but she should be just fine. You and Sally may go in and see her, but do not disturb her." Samantha said rather sternly. As Sam said this, Doctor Quack and Rotor took the Queen to the Infirmary.

Robotnik was also on the move. He was bringing Knothole a gift. Eventually, Robotnik reached the outskirts of the village where he instructed one of his SWATbots to carry the device into the city. After the robot armed the device, it turned and returned to the evil Doctor who in turn went back to Robotropolis. Uncle Chuck watched from his bunker as Robotnik and his troops marched back to their base of operations. Once they returned to Robotropolis, Snively radioed Rotor and explained that the decoy had been set and that the timer on the shuttle that would get Ivo Robotnik and a select few of his robots off the planet had been set and was running.

"You have to get here soon and defeat him before he takes off in his rocket. If you don't, the device'll destroy you all when it detonates! Make sure that you send Sonic… he's the only one that'll be able to outrun it." Snively explained over the radio.

"We'll be there shortly. Keep him grounded. Do not let him get away." Rotor said. There was a burst of static over the old radio set and then silence. At that moment, Aaron walked into the lab.

"Rotor! I just saw Robotnik at the edge of the village. Don't you guys have defenses against him?" Aaron asked.

"Easy there, friend. What he brought into the village was a decoy; a fake. It is just a shell. The real thing is someplace in Robotropolis right now, waiting for us to set the timer when the time is right. I've had a secret alliance with Snively since about eight years after the betrayal. He's been helping us out as much as possible in trying to defeat Ivo." Rotor explained. He then picked up another microphone from his desk and spoke into it,

"Attention: this is a message for the main Freedom Fighters. Please report to the lab at once. I repeat: I need to see the core members of the Freedom Fighters at the lab at once. This is not a drill. Will Samantha please come with the rest of the Freedom Fighters to the lab?" Aaron kept thinking how much alike and different the Mobians were from the humans from Earth.

"Rotor… what's going on? What's all the hustle about?" Sonic asked as he arrived first.

"Sonic, I'll explain as soon as the rest of the team gets here." Rotor answered. The rest of them arrived within the next couple minutes.

"Okay, gang… the reason I called this emergency meeting is Robotnik is going ahead with his plans to destroy the planet with his Ultimate Annihilator. I had hoped he would not use it, but it appears his attempts to roboticize Earth were unsuccessful, perhaps because of the planets merging together or because of the fact that Mobians are very different than the humans he has encountered there. In either case, we have to go ahead and try to defeat him now before he can leave. I know it's short notice, but we have to do it now otherwise we'll never have a chance, period." Rotor explained.

"Alright… I'm game. What do we have to lose? If we're unable to do it, we'll have lost the whole thing. Let's go." Sonic said in his usual sarcastic manner. Rotor walked out of his lab and was back within a minute with the decoy. He opened a door on the side of it and inside was a hundred Power Rings. Sonic filled his backpack with as many as it would hold. "Let's go! It's a ways there, so this could take a bit…"

"Wait a second, gang. Why don't we take my car? It has more than enough room for all of us and we'll get there a lot faster." Aaron suggested. There was a silent agreement and so they proceeded to flip the car over with the assistance of Bunnie. Once the car was flipped back onto its wheels, Aaron climbed in and put the two emeralds in their proper receptacles. As soon as the emeralds were installed, the car started up.

"Everyone in! I'm driving. Sally, can you give me directions to the city?" Aaron asked as he checked the onboard computers. Sally gave the directions and Aaron drove as fast as he could to Robotropolis. Once there, they piled out of the car and made their way towards the main tower which housed the office of Robotnik.

(End of Chapter 12) 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Confrontations and Freedoms

"Something's not right. We got in too easily. I'll bet he has the whole place booby-trapped. Everyone watch your step!" Aaron warned. There was an electrical pulse in the air as if they were standing in some sort of giant computer.

"Where… how do we get to the top floor? There must be an elevator somewhere." Sonic observed. There was a clank below them and then Sonic, Sally, Sam, and Aaron found themselves on a platform that was taking them straight up. After going up for about a minute, the platform came to a bone-jarring stop. About ten seconds later, it started moving again, much slower this time. When it stopped, they found themselves in a room full of computers and various displays. On one display, there was a clock counting down.

"My… my. Who do we have here? It's so nice of you to join me on the eve of your destruction. It's really too bad that your friends can't join you. They've had the tables… or, rather the floors turned on them. Now, they have their own problems at the moment." A voice from above them said. As the voice, which Sally identified as Robotnik spoke, a section of the wall slid away revealing a vast sea of Roboticizers, each enclosing one Freedom Fighter or Mobian. Robotnik himself walked out of the room of Roboticizers.

"We're going to play a little game. First thing, choose one of you… the chosen will battle their robotic double to the death. If one of you wins, you will then have to battle me to the death once more. If you win, you will have saved both planets and all the inhabitants of them. If you lose, you will have lost everything... planet, inhabitants, and your lives. You will have sixty-five seconds to decide." Robotnik said as he walked over to one of the control panels. Aaron, Sally, Sonic, and Sam huddled together.

"I'll do it. I have nothing to lose." Sam spoke up.

"Nonsense. If anyone, it should be Sonic. He's the only one who can move as fast as Robotnik can think." Sally volunteered. Ivo Robotnik was busy calling up the robotic duplicates of the Freedom Fighters.

"Hey, chubs! I got you covered! Send your best at me!" Sonic jeered.

"You asked for it, now you're gonna get it! I give you… Metal Sonic!" Robotnik said as the robot jetted down to the floor. Ivo hit a few buttons and suddenly the ceiling and walls spread out and rose up until they reached coliseum proportions.

"Let's get this over with. I have other things to do." Sonic shouted as Ivo initiated the combat program for Metal Sonic. The robot came to life and immediately started fighting Sonic. At first, Sonic was caught off guard by the speed of the robot's attack. Metal Sonic was much faster and was able to counter every move of Sonic's with one of his own moves. Eventually, Sonic was able to confuse the robot enough through the use of his speed to gain sufficient pause to get his energy back. With neither side, Doctor Robotnik called the first fight off.

"I can see this is going nowhere fast. Hedgehog, you put up a good fight, but let's see how you do against me. Snively, start the launch timer at five minutes. I should be done by then." As Snively set the launch timer on the rocket that would transport the doctor and a select few of his robots off the planet, Rotor ran over to the real Annihilator and started the timer on the device.

"Sonic! We've gotta go! The device will go off in less than a hundred seconds!"

"You guys go! If I don't make it, take care of Sally! Go! Get out!" Sonic shouted. Robotnik had the hedgehog on the run with a series of lasers in the floor. Sonic ran over to the Roboticizers and opened them all from the main control panel. The Mobians that were trapped in them all ran over to the elevator and took it down. Once at the bottom, it headed back up to the top floor where the fight was going on. Snively, Sam, Sally, and Aaron scrambled to the lift, which took them to the bottom floor where they ran out of the tower. Snively ran off in the direction of a patrol craft he had hidden behind the tower. He started it up and flew away as fast as he could.

As the timer on the device neared zero, the room filled with a pulsating humming. Sonic knew he too would be consumed by the energy if he did not do something about his situation. Robotnik had a hold of his legs and was dragging him towards the source of the humming. Sonic still had his backpack with him; he had had it on throughout the entire fight. He remembered that he had packed it with power rings and the last emerald that Rotor had been able to find. Sonic grabbed a handful of the rings and slid those around his arms and took hold of the emerald and hoped that it would negate the energy of the device when it detonated. When the humming from the device seemed to reach the peak of the audible range, it began to emanate waves of energy. Robotnik had taken to his feet and scrambled desperately for his shuttle that was about to launch. Sonic leapt after the evil Doctor and managed to drag him away from the rocket as it launched.

"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" Sonic shouted over the humming. The energy field emanating from the device had started to consume its surroundings. Robotnik screamed in terror as he realized that he had lost. As the field consumed him, Robotnik howled with rage as he saw all he had made was being lost to a device of his making.

"I'll get you someday! The war is far from over!" Robotnik said before he vanished. As Robotnik was consumed, the device detonated. The resulting explosion obliterated the city.

As Aaron, Sally, and Sam watched in amazement, the explosion was sucked back in and vanished from sight… leaving only the original Kingdom Of Acorns.

(End of Chapter 13) 


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 End of the ten-year siege

"Wait! Where'd Sonic go? Geez, he was in the building when it disintegrated! Split up and begin searching for him." Sally ordered. They ran back to Knothole and got the rest of the Freedom Fighters together so they could cover more territory at a faster pace knowing that it could be quite a search with just the three of them. They searched for about an hour and did not find anyone. Finally, as they were leaving the city, Sally caught sound of crying coming from up in a tree.

"Hello? Who's up there?" Sally called up into the tree.

"It's safe. Please just come down. We're here to help." Aaron added. There was a rustling as the person in the tree came down.

"Hershey! What's wrong?" Samantha asked. It took a few seconds for her to find her voice.

"I know about everything that has taken place that led up to now." Hershey told Sally and the two humans before breaking into tears again.

"Come on, let's get you back to Knothole and then we'll talk. You haven't seen Sonic around here, have you?" Sally asked as they slowly walked back towards the village.

"As Robotropolis vanished, I caught a glimpse of him as he ran out of there. So, Robotnik's dead? He's really finally gone?" Aaron nodded at Hershey.

"And, Sally got her parents back. After ten long years, it had all fallen back into place. Now, all we have to do is find a way to separate the planets and get everything back to normal." Sam added. As Sam said that, Sonic came running up to them looking slightly disheveled.

"What's shakin'? You guys miss me?" He asked as he skidded to a stop. Sally ran up and gave Sonic a big hug and kiss.

"Now what happens? Where do we go from here? How do we get back home?" Sam asked.

"According to Quantum Theory, there is a copy of everything someplace in time and space. It's just a matter of locating exactly where one would go within time and space to get back there. If the theory holds true, maybe we can still get back to our Earth." Aaron explained.

"As for us, we'll start rebuilding the Kingdom and hopefully, someday, get back to where we were before this all started without it happening again." Sally said. They arrived back at Knothole with Aaron's car in tow. Aaron and Rotor built a makeshift garage to store the car in so Aaron could work on it if needed. With a quick check of the car, the garage proved to be a good idea.

While parked outside the city before its destruction, much dust and debris had accumulated in the engine compartment mainly around the turbine for cooling. The cooling system also had blown several of the fuses, which needed to be replaced before any further driving would be possible. That night, as the village slept, Aaron was wide-awake working on repairing what needed fixing on his car. By about three in the morning, Aaron had dozed off in the garage. Morning came and with it the bustle of the citizens getting ready for the new revolution in the village.

"Aaron! Time to get up! You have a big journey today! Sam whispered in his ear. Aaron woke up and to his surprise; he found that the car had been loaded with foods and vegetables.

"Ohhhh! I forgot about today! Come on! We have to go before the sun sets!" Aaron urged Sam.

"Not we, just you. They need my help here and I want to help them." Sam explained.

"But… but… will I ever see you again?" Aaron stuttered.

"I don't know. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me, just get back to Earth, and straighten everything up there." Aaron was having a hard time fathoming something like this. 'I'll be fine, don't you worry. I'll possibly see you again in the near future. Go now and don't look back. Remember, I love you." Sam called after him. The Freedom Fighters had gathered around to say their goodbyes and then Aaron started the car up and began his journey. As he sped away from the village, he started crying as he thought about how much he would miss Sam and the Freedom Fighters. He sped the car up as he programmed the coordinates and estimated distance into the onboard computers and let the car do most of the driving while he took a nap. Before he knew it, he was back on Earth; the Earth he had left so many days ago, the Earth that Robotnik had tried to take over.

From what he saw up and down his street, Robotnik was unable to even touch the human race as the Roboticizers were tuned for the anatomy, composition and body type of the Mobians and had never been tried on a human. There had been a little damage to the city itself; some minor structural damage to the city center and some houses from what seemed to be a fight.

"So that's why Robotnik was so ready to use that device; he just wanted to destroy both planets and then move on to a new civilization and take them over." Aaron thought to himself. As he turned into his driveway, the car died in a cloud of oil smoke resulting from three blown head gaskets. Aaron was able to push it into the garage before going into the house and going to bed. As he climbed into bed, he noticed the picture of Sam he kept next to his bed was gone. That night, both Sam and Aaron cried themselves to sleep.

The following morning, Aaron set about assessing the damage to his home city and what had happened to the citizens that Robotnik had tried to roboticize. Very little had happened to the few citizens who were subjected to the process; from what could be found, the only thing that happened to them was the process enhanced their strength and ability to retain information. Aaron tried to explain what had happened as clearly as was possible without going into too much detail about what had happened to the few people who were subjected to the process. Once he was done explaining what happened to the people who witnessed the attempt at invasion by Robotnik, Aaron went back to his house and began trying to rebuild his car. The car proved to be a mess; during the return trip, he had not only blown the head gaskets of three cylinders, he had also damaged the onboard computers. Both would have to be replaced before any further travel would be possible.

Sam and the rest of the Freedom Fighters spent the next ten months working on restoring the Kingdom to its once and former glory. King Maximilian and Queen Alicia Acorn assumed the throne once again after almost eleven long years. Much time was spent looking for Snively, but he was never found. It was assumed he had traveled to the eastern half of Mobius where he lived with the Overlanders. The restoration was completed nearly a year after the end of the siege under the direction of the King and Queen.

At the same time that the restoration was completed, Aaron finished working on rebuilding his car and getting it back into working order. He had also taken the tattered remains of Princess Sally's vest and found a similar fabric in his hometown, which he used to make a duplicate of her original vest. He used what he could of the original vest and the rest was the new cloth. After packing his clothes and locking his house and garage, Aaron embarked on his last mission; his last mission would be to return the vest to the Princess, get back together with Sam, and possibly marry her. Aaron started his car up and made it back onto the Dimensional Superhighway and journeyed back to Mobius.

(End of Chapter 14) 


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Sally's journal

About half way through the night, Sally woke up after having a dream about her past experiences. She immediately went to her desk and got her diary out of the desk drawer and wrote about her dream in it:

' A year and a half after I joined the Freedom Fighters, I was sitting alone out in a clearing wishing for a miracle; a miracle that would end Robotnik's reign and make Sonic declare his love for me that I had always suspected was there.

"Hello, little flower! Maybe you can tell me what I need to know!" I, then just fourteen years old, said aloud to the flower that fluttered in the winds in front of me. I picked the flower and proceeded to pluck each of its petals while repeating the phrase that many school girls learned as they came of age.

"He loves me… he loves me not." I spoke as I pulled the first two petals from the little flower. Finally, I reached the last of the petals and was more than disappointed as I spoke the words that one never wanted to hear.

"He loves me not." I said as I rested my head in my hands and let out a sigh.

"Guess I won't find any answers tonight. Things seemed much less complicated when I was young. Back then, my thoughts were on anything but romance… fun was fun, but my duties as Princess always came first…"

'Since birth, I had been groomed to one day take my place at the throne. Little did I suspect how soon that day would come. Almost overnight, my father had disappeared and Robotnik appeared, spreading his unique brand of tyranny across the land.

Back then; I was still a simple kid with a head full of dreams and no way to make them come true.

"I wish I had a magic wand to help wipe my troubles away! Oh father, I miss you so much!" That night, a comet came streaking down out of the night sky and crashed about five hundred yards away. I cried out, "What was that?" and jumped up and started running towards the crash site.

"It landed just over that hill! Well, whatever it was I'd better go check it out!" Meanwhile, outside of Knothole, Sonic and the rest of the Freedom Fighters had heard the crash of the object. From what I was told later, Sonic was the one who suggested that they investigate it. Shortly, they caught up with me. Rotor had fixed his metal detector and was sweeping it over the ground trying to get the direction of the fallen object.

"Sonic! You saw it too?" I asked.

"Saw it? We heard it! That was loud enough to wake the dead!" Sonic replied. I turned to Rotor and asked if we were headed in the right direction.

"My metal detector thinks so, Princess. In fact…there it is!" Rotor said as we came to the crater from the impact.

"Way cool!" Sonic said under his breath.

"You're right, Sonic! Cool to the touch!" I said. Rotor said that the objects being cool to the touch was impossible.

"I've never seen anything like it! What do you suppose it could be?" Rotor asked me.

"I'm not sure, Rotor… but this may well be the answer to all my wishes!" Right away, we took the mysterious object, which we came to call 'The orb', back to Rotor's lab where he tried to get it open using all his knowledge. Nothing was able to even scratch the surface; acids just sizzled and boiled, lasers just bounced off, at one point Rotor even tried to compress it and when the pressure was let up, it just sprang back to its usual shape; nothing could damage it. We were all gathered in the lab when my Aunt Rosie came in.

"Princess Sally… might I have a word with ye? 'Tis important!" She said from just within the doorframe.

"Certainly, Rosie. I'll be right there." I took off my safety glasses and hurried over to Rosie. She proceeded to tell me about what was happening to my mentor, Julayla. She had been suffering from some kind of illness for the past few days and was now nearing death's door.

"… I'm not even sure the surface is the surface!" Rotor was saying behind me.

"Huh? Could you say that again in plain English?" Sonic asked.

"The 'orb' is a force field… masking the true nature of what's inside! And, until we find some way to crack it open…"

"I get the picture! What's your take on all this, Sal? Sal?" Sonic asked as I ran past him to Julayla's room. "Wow! Talk about dazed and confused! Maybe I'd better…" Sonic said as he went to start after me, but was stopped by Rosie.

"Not this time, laddie. 'Tis a matter she must be dealin' with in her own way!" She told Sonic.

"But, why can't we help?" Sonic asked.

"You both should know…" She said to Sonic and Tails, "that there are some roads… which must be taken alone!" I arrived at Julayla's chamber and announced my presence to her.

"Sally… come closer, my child, that these aged eyes might more clearly see." Julayla said from her bed.

"Are… you…" I started to ask, fearing that the answer would be what I thought it would be.

"Hush, favored one. There are, to all things, a season… and time is in short supply. You bear the mantle of leadership with honor and grace. Though you might have longed for other paths, the duties of your birthright could not be denied." She rather slowly said, "From the first, you studied long and hard, ever growing in knowledge and spirit, and as your teacher, I would have accepted no less. Each day brought new lessons." At this point, Julayla and I seemed to share some sort of telepathic connection as we both experienced the same vision.

"Here, snatch it from my hand." Julayla said to the younger me as she held an acorn in her hand. The younger me, as quickly as I could, reached out and made an attempt to grab it. Pulling back my hand, I was surprised when I opened my hand and didn't see the acorn in my hand.

"Huh? Where is it?" I asked.

"Where it always was. This ceremonial acorn has been a symbol of your heritage for twelve generations, and once you have successfully claimed it, you will have mastered the most important discipline of all." Julayla said in the vision, which ended at that.

"I remember that day, and many others like it… you never let up for a moment." I said.

"Only because I cared… and knew you to carry the seeds of greatness. None were prouder than I at your commencement ball… nor more sorrowful on the day your father was taken from us. That was long ago, and you have since grown much. Let us discover together… exactly how much!" Julayla said as she opened her closed hand and in it was the acorn. I knew what I was to do… try to get the acorn from her hand using my wits and intelligence. For a few seconds, I observed the situation and finally came up with an idea to get it. So, I tapped her hand with my knee, bouncing the acorn into the air and as fast as I could, grabbed it.

"An elegant solution. Such wisdom cannot be taught… it must be acquired! You are ready… farewell, beloved one…" She said as she faded away into the grips of death. Deeply saddened by her passing, I went outside and sat down where I was when the orb fell from the sky the other night. Out of nowhere, Sonic came walking out to me.

"Sally, I thought I might find you up here! Is everything alright?" Sonic asked.

"I guess. Just feeling a little lonelier tonight, Sonic." I said.

"Tonight is almost yesterday, Sally… and there are many more tomorrows ahead!" Sonic said. '

(End of Chapter 15) 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Return to paradise

When he reached Mobotropolis, it was night. The newly resurrected city gleamed like a newly cut diamond in the moonlight. Aaron parked his car a ways away from the city, wrapped the new vest, and took a short nap before the sun rose. Once the sun rose, Aaron tracked down Samantha and after talking for a few minutes, Aaron had Sam take him to the Princesses chambers.

"Princess, you have a visitor. He says it's important." Samantha said to Sally.

"Show him in. It better be quick. Tonight is the first anniversary of our freedom. Sally said as she sat down in front of her vanity with her back to Aaron and Sam. Sam motioned for Aaron to enter. "Make it quick." Aaron approached Sally while holding the package out in front of him. "Speak up. I don't have time to sit here and play games." Sally said as she turned around. To her surprise, Aaron was standing before her.

"Hello, Princess. I know you weren't expecting me to come by, so I'll make it fast. I just thought that you'd like this back." He said as he handed her the package. Sally hesitated before she opened it, trying to figure out what Aaron would be giving her. Samantha waited just as eagerly as Sally ripped the wrapping paper off the box and fumbled with it to get it open.

"Don't tell me you came all the way back here just to give me a present." Sally said as she finally got the box open. "My goodness! You actually got me a new vest! But how?" Sally gasped as she held the vest up in front of her. Aaron stepped forward as he explained what he did.

"… All I did was find a cloth that matched your old vest, fixed it where it was torn, stitched it back together and came back here to give it back to you." He solemnly said. "And, I couldn't leave Sam here all alone." Sally and Sam ran up and both hugged Aaron. That night, Aaron, Sam, and the Freedom Fighters celebrated the first anniversary of their freedom from the dictatorship of Ivo Robotnik. Halfway through the celebration, without knowing of each other's intentions, Aaron took Sam aside while Sonic took Sally aside. Once outside the party, Aaron took Samantha by her hand and got down on one knee and said,

"Samantha, will you marry me?" Samantha was speechless. On the opposite end of the courtyard, Sally was just as shocked.

"But… But… this is so sudden. I'm just not ready for this kind of commitment… I do hope you understand. You have to see that I am not ready for us to be that close. We should just stay friends for awhile… at least until things get straightened up around here." Sally gently said.

"I see and I am willing' to respect that. I have no problem with us just staying friends." Sonic said. At the other end of the yard, Samantha had finally regained her voice.

"I don't know what to say… my initial impulse says 'no' but my heart says 'yes'. And, for once in my life, I'm going to follow my heart and say… absolutely! I love you!" Samantha exclaimed joyfully with tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. Aaron slid the ring around her finger and then wrapped his arms around her. The rest of the night was spent building a hut for the two of them to live in. Thereafter, for the next week, the Freedom Fighters spent their time trying to find a way to de-roboticize the unfortunate ones. Immediately, they started with Sir Charles Hedgehog. It proved to be no easy task, for the mechanical part had grown and bonded to his skeletal structure, thereby making it impossible to de-roboticize him. Sonic was able to totally restore his free will by having him take hold of a power ring. Somehow the energies contained within the mysterious rings allowed all the roboticized Mobians to regain their will. As time went on, Aaron and Samantha grew closer to each other and the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

"Samantha, when do we wanna get married?" Aaron asked on their six-month anniversary. Aaron was twenty-one years old and Samantha was twenty. Samantha was hesitant to respond either way.

"Aaron, I want to do it soon. But we must get one thing straight before we go any further… I want you to quit smoking. It is the worst possible thing that you could for your body and I don't wanna lose you for any reason. So I ask you… if we get married, will you quit smoking?" Sam asked. Aaron looked deep into her eyes while he answered.

"I'll do anything for you, so long as we never part." Aaron said softly. He got up, went over to his dresser, took his carton of cigarettes, and burned them outside in the bonfire. That night, Aaron dreamt that after the marriage ceremony was done, the War Machines reactivated themselves and once more destroyed Knothole and the Palace. In the dream the machines killed everyone except him.

Once morning came, Sally had the realization that could help the roboticized Mobians.

(End of Chapter 16) 


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Undiscovered Discoveries

All at once, Sally realized that the one thing they had not tried with the roboticized Mobians was subjecting them to the process that had made them what they were.

"Rotor! I think that the only way to deroboticize the roboticized Mobians is by roboticizing them again. Do you think it's doable? I know it sounds crazy… but it just might work." Sally excitedly told Rotor.

"You're right, it sounds crazy. The only way to be sure would be to try it and see what happens. We should get Charles before we do anything. He designed it, so he knows what we will be risking." Rotor suggested. As Sally thought she would, she found him at the Village kitchen making chilidogs for Sonic.

"Charles, we need your help with something."

"We think we have an idea that that could… deroboticize the roboticized Mobians. But, we need you to help us with this one. You're the only one who knows how the roboticizer works." As Charles heard this, he dropped what he was doing and followed them to the last roboticizer known to exist, which was located in the lab.

Aaron and Samantha were busy working on the wedding plans.

"Aaron, why must our wedding be so elaborate? All I want is a small simple wedding. I don't want to have it complex… all I want is to get married to you." Samantha explained.

"Alright, my love… simple it'll be. Next thing, where do we want the ceremony to be held?" Aaron said looking over the list of things he had planned.

"I know the perfect place. Tell me… would you want to get married inside the palace?" Sam asked Aaron.

"Absolutely!"

At the lab, Sonic, Sally, Rotor and Charles found they could not get the Roboticizer online and working.

"What do we want to do now?" Rotor asked.

"Maybe we should leave them this way. Perhaps they don't really mind being robots. They have their free wills back, so who cares what they look like? I'm jut glad they are on our side now instead of being on Robo's side." Sonic explained in his unconventional way.

"He's right, y'know. It's not what's in the outside; it's what's inside that matters. I say we head back to the village and see what's been going on in our absence." Sally agreed with Sonic. At that, they turned around and headed back to Knothole, which was still home to the Freedom Fighters. Upon arriving, it was obvious that something big was going on; the entire city was decorated.

"Daddy, what's going on? What happened while we were gone?" Sally asked, approaching the King.

"Dear, we are going to be having a wedding. Aaron and Samantha, the humans, are going to get married." King Max answered, grinning broadly.

"They are going to get married inside the palace. This is so wonderful… another couple getting married the same way we did so many years ago! And on her birthday… so romantic." Queen Alicia said. The village buzzed with excitement as they prepared for the wedding, which promised to be extravagant.

"It's all set; the wedding is set for tomorrow afternoon. It will be held outside in the old tradition." Aaron explained.

"What are we going to do for my dress and your suit?" Samantha asked.

"I'm not sure. I sure don't have a tux here or on Earth and I'm sure you don't have a wedding-type dress with you."

"I have an idea… let's go talk to the King and Queen and see what they can do." Samantha said as she hurried along to Acorn Castle with Aaron following a little behind. She pushed open the large door and entered. She motioned for Aaron to follow her in. Samantha had developed a rapport with the King and Queen for saving Queen Alicia's life with the surgery; they allowed her access to the castle and all its treasures contained inside. Aaron followed Sam into the inner chambers of the King and Queen.

"Your Majesties… as you know, Aaron and I are getting married tomorrow, but we don't have anything to wear for the wedding. We were wondering if you might have any clothes that we could borrow… just for the ceremony?" Samantha asked.

"Certainly. Anything we have you can have. Dear, will you help Samantha while I help Aaron?" King Acorn asked.

"Of course. We'll have you kids fixed up in a jiffy." Queen Alicia said as she led Samantha to her rooms. At the same time, King Max led Aaron to his rooms. As luck would have it, the clothes that the King and Queen handed Aaron and Samantha were just about the right size. They took the measurements and had their tailor adjust the clothes for Aaron and Sam. They took the clothes, thanked the King and Queen, and headed back to their hut. The rest of the night was spent with them in their hut nervously anticipating the next day. Aaron slept somewhat soundly while Sam slept restlessly that night.

With morning came a day that they both had been waiting for. In keeping with the tradition, Aaron and Samantha were not allowed to see each other until the actual ceremony. Two hours before the ceremonies were to take place, the doors to the palace were opened so that the citizens could get seated. At five minutes to three o'clock, the King and Queen, the acting ministers, made their way to the podium. As the three o'clock hour approached, the congregation quieted first to a whisper and then complete silence.

(End of Chapter 17) 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 The Grand Marriage

"Ladies and gentlemen… thank you for coming today. As many of you know, for the past year, we've had two new residents in the Village and now the city. It was with their help that we defeated Robotnik, got the Queen and myself back, and started rebuilding the former Kingdom. On the request of them, we have been asked to perform the ceremonies of marriage that will join them together in perpetual matrimony." King Acorn proudly said. The doors at the far end of the temporary chapel opened and in the doorway were standing Aaron and Samantha. Sonic and Sally led them down the aisle. As they slowly walked down the aisle, Rotor played the traditional wedding marches on the organ. When they reached the end of the aisle, they were standing before the King and Queen.

"Aaron Brandt… Samantha Collen… we have gathered here today to join Mr. Brandt and Miss Collen in perpetual matrimony. Before we go any further… is there anyone who thinks these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." No one spoke after the King.

"The ring please." Sonic brought the ring forward and handed it to Aaron. "On this day, we have gathered here to bear witness to the marriage of Mister Aaron Brandt and Miss Samantha Collen." The Queen brought forward a large book and handed it to the King. "Contained within this book are the names of everyone who had gotten married within the palace walls. Unfortunately… over the years the book has changed hands many times and has lost much of its significance." The King explained.

"Once you two are married, we shall be able to continue the tradition. It had been done this way for hundreds of years and thus it shall be done in the years to come." Queen Alicia added. The King took a step forward and then continued the ceremony.

"Aaron… do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife… to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse for richer or for poorer in sickness and in health till death do you apart?" King Acorn asked. Aaron could feel all the eyes in the room watching him.

"Yes… I do." Aaron nervously stuttered. The Queen repeated the vows to Samantha.

"Samantha… do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband… to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse for richer or for poorer in sickness and in health till death do you apart?" Queen Alicia asked. Samantha looked deep into Aaron's eyes before she answered.

"… Yes, I do." Samantha slowly answered. King Max and Queen Alicia then said in unison,

"By the power vested in us by the Royal Decree of Acorns, we pronounce you… husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Aaron took Samantha's hands and looked deep into her eyes and they remained that way for a few seconds before finally kissing. As Sally watched them kiss, she felt tears come to her eyes. Sonic wanted to reach over and offer his touch to comfort her, but he was worried that she might reject his comfort. After kissing for what seemed like an eternity, Samantha broke off the kiss and, taking Aaron's hand, went running down the aisle. Before she reached the doors, she turned around and threw the bouquet into the air. It landed right in Sally's lap. She cried out in surprise and looked up in time to see Samantha slip out the doors with Aaron in tow. Sonic reached over and took Sally's hand. She looked over and met Sonic's warm friendly gaze and immediately hugged him.

The rest of the night was spent in celebration. At about two in the morning, the party finally started to die down. Finally, at about three thirty that morning, everyone had headed home. Aaron and Sam went back to their newly finished hut and sleepily crawled into bed. Aaron fell asleep almost instantly, while Sam lay awake thinking about what they had gone through to get to this point. As dawn approached, she drifted off to sleep.

(End of Chapter 18) 


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Knights in Knothole

For the next few days, not much happened. They spent the days working on restoring the castle and the nights telling stories of what royalty was like in the castle and what Earth was like. At the end of the week, there was a large bonfire built in the center of the palace courtyards and they talked about what had gone on that week. The meeting went as all the meetings went until it got to the King, who had remained quiet until that point.

"Lately… Sonic M. Hedgehog had been on my mind for many reasons. As of late, I have seen him do many brave things in the past week. One thing I have seen him do this past week was I saw him rescue a group of children from falling into an underground mineshaft… I have seen him rescue people from burning buildings. I have witnessed him do many brave and heroic deeds while risking his life for the safety of others' lives. And, for this I would normally award him a Medal of Honor… but considering what all he has done for us… I shall award you the honor of Knighthood." King Max said, turning to Sonic. Sonic was speechless. The Queen stepped forward to the King and handed him his Royal Sword. Sonic knew what to do, for he had seen his Uncle Chuck get knighted when he was younger. Sonic bowed down on one knee before the King.

"Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, you have done many brave things in the past year and a half. And, for those, you have earned the greatest honor of all… Knighthood. As you kneel before me, I want you to think about this seriously… do you think you honestly deserve the privilege of being knighted? I want you to think about it hard. Along with your Knighthood comes a great line of responsibilities." King Acorn explained to Sonic. Nobody said anything for about a minute and then Sonic spoke up.

"Sire, I am honored that you would think I deserve to become a Royal Knight… but I don't feel that I deserve it. If anyone deserves it, it should be Geoffrey St. John. He did much more than I in defeating Robotnik. You do understand…" Sonic valiantly said.

"I understand and respect your decision. Geoffrey St. John, do you accept this honor of Knighthood?" Geoffrey could not believe his ears.

"Why, I'm honored. But, what did I do that would make me deserve Knighthood?" St. John asked.

"Dude, you led the full-scale invasion against Robotropolis. Without your tactical skills and persistence, we wouldn't have gotten the King's sword back. If we never got the sword back, we couldn't have gotten the King back and nothing would have worked. You are the true hero of the Kingdom!" Sonic explained.

"Sire, I accept my being knighted and all the responsibilities associated with it." St. John said.

"By the Royal Crown and Throne of the Kingdom of Acorn… I hereby Knight you, Sir Geoffrey St. John of the Kingdom of Acorn." The King said as he knighted Geoffrey. "In the morning, report to the training center. As for everyone else, good night and I'll see you kids in a couple months. Until I return, Princess Sally will be in charge of the Kingdom." The King said. At that, everyone went to bed.

That night, as Sally slept, she dreamt of the fateful night when she lost Nicole during the final battle. When the device went off, the energy from it consumed everything in the city. Unfortunately, Sally was in such a hurry to get out before the device went off that she dropped her computer. The energy field consumed Nicole and no trace was ever found of the small computer amongst the rubble that was left of the city.

While training Geoffrey St. John, the eastern Mobians started several riots. Being in the area, St. John and King Max tried to stop the riots. They were successful in stopping them, but it cost them the life of St. John. King Max suffered a dislocated spinal disc and ended up bed-ridden for the rest of his days. Three years later, Sonic and Sally finally married and had two kids a year later. The Freedom Fighters had disbanded with having no freedom to fight for. A year later, Sally found herself wondering what had become of Nicole. As Sally sat there braiding their daughters' hair, there was a great crash outside beyond the boundaries of the Great Forest.

"Children… you stay here. Sonic, come with me and get the others together. If anything happens… we'll wait with that part." Sally said. She and Sonic ran to the others' huts and got them together for perhaps one last time. They all gathered together and left for the crash site.

(End of Chapter 19) 


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 The orb

After a lot of walking and a few false alarms, they found what had landed. It appeared to be an orb about a foot in diameter. The impact of the falling abject had created a crater almost a hundred feet across with the orb in the exact center.

"Princess, I am detecting levels of alpha and gamma radiation… they appear to be within normal limits." Rotor said, consulting his instruments. Sally started towards the orb.

"Sal! Don't go near it! We don't know what it is! Be careful!" Sonic said. Sally bent over and touched it; she noticed that it was cold to the touch. She also noticed that it reflected light but not images. Sally picked it up and tapped on the outside of it. The tapping reverberated through the object as if it was hollow.

"Rotor… let's head back to your lab. See if we can crack this egg." Sally said as she climbed out of the crater carrying the orb. Once out, they all headed back to the lab. Back at the lab, Rotor tried everything he had to get it open. After two hours of trying chemicals, machines and energies on it, he gave up.

"There is no way that I can see to get that thing open. Lasers just bounce off it; acids evaporate… I can't even compress it because it'll just flatten and then return to its spherical shape. Something else… it seems to generate its own light. I don't know what it is!" Rotor said before he threw his hands up in the air, defeated. Sally kept having a strange episode of Déjà vu… almost as if she had been through this once before.

That night, as Sally slept, she dreamt of the day her and Sonic's marriage. Just as Sonic was about to say 'I do', she woke up. To her surprise, the room was lit as if it was morning already. She glanced over at the clock and found that it was just past two in the morning. She got up, put on her vest, and began looking for the source of the light. She left her hut and found that the light was coming from within Rotor's shop.

As she entered the shop, the light dimmed in intensity. The light seemed to have a pulse to it as if it was a living being. Sally looked all over the small shop for the mysterious sphere, which she suspected of being responsible for this light. Where Rotor had set the sphere, there was now a small computer resembling her old computer Nicole. She went to touch the small computer when it switched on.

"Princess, it has been a long time. I am Nicole, and I am back. I can only stay for a few minutes, then I'll finish my journey." Nicole said in her computerized voice.

"But, you were destroyed in the final battle!" Nicole's lights blinked.

"What you remember is leaving me in the tower when the device detonated. What you did not see me do was generate a force field around myself. The shield ended up catapulting me up into an alternate reality where the Princess Sally and Sonic of that reality had just launched their fight against the Robotnik of that reality. You see… if you hadn't left me behind in the Command Center, you may not have defeated Robotnik." Nicole explained.

"Stay right here for a second… I'll go get Rotor!" Sally said.

"No… I have to go. Alternate realities await and I cannot afford to keep them waiting. If I could, I would… believe me. I must go. But, as I leave, I'll leave you with this… in five years, you and Sonic will ascend the throne and become Queen and King of Greater Mobius. I cannot tell you anything more than that for fear that it would change the future and that can be devastating to a civilization. I will go now…" The computer said as it generated its shield around itself.

"Be sure to take care of any other civilizations you run into… and if you can, come back. Remember… we love you." Sally said with a tear-choked voice. At that, Sally picked up the orb and carried it to the window and watched it as it flew away. Sally went back to her room and wrote down what had happened and what she had been told in her diary. She happened to look at her vest and found that there were six words glowing on it. Sally picked up the vest and found that the words were stitched in gold thread into the cloth.

She wrote down the words in her diary and then went outside and sat in the palace gardens deep in meditation. She sat there the rest of the night thinking about what she had been told. Sally decided to keep it to herself; not even telling her husband, Sonic. Once morning came, she slipped back into the castle and back into bed, lying next to Sonic. Sally curled up next to Sonic, put her arm around him and fell into a restless sleep. That morning, the entire village seemed to remember something about a bright light, but no one knew where it came from or what it was.

With each passing day, the Queens health deteriorated a little more to the point that she passed away. The Kingdom was greatly saddened by her passing. Then three years later, the King died in his sleep. It would later be found that the both died from brain aneurisms. After the King passed away, Sonic and Sally assumed the role of King and Queen. By this time, Aaron and Samantha had moved across the Great Ocean to the massive eastern territory. All was peaceful and quiet.

The Mobians had become friends with the remaining Overlanders and they proceeded to share their technology and trade goods. Aaron and Samantha later became King and Queen of the eastern territory and they developed the first air purification plant on the planet. The unfortunates, it was discovered, could be turned back by using the energies of the power rings in conjunction with a power amplifier. Through prolonged exposure to the resulting energy, the answer to changing them back was found.

(End of Chapter 20) 


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

Nothing was ever heard about Snively since the final battle. After Sally met Nicole again, Earth and Mobius mysteriously separated. Upon separation, Earth returned to its normal orbit around the Sun in the Milky Way galaxy. As Sally grew older, she realized that Nicole was a gift to herself from herself. When one Sally in one reality defeated Robotnik of that reality, Nicole would travel to another reality and assist that Sally in her quest for total freedom. For the rest of her life, the six words embroidered into the vest that Julayla had left Sally served her well. Whenever she needed some kind of reassurance that what she was doing was right, she would look to those six little words and find she was right.

Over the generations, the peace that Sally, Sonic, Aaron, and Sam strived to reclaim was lost once they all died. Aaron died of old age at ninety-five; Sam of a massive heart attack at seventy-four, Sonic at sixty of heart failure and Sally passed away at one hundred and three of kidney failure. Those six little words would be engraved on her tombstone. They read: To Thine Own Self Be True.

Their children assumed the throne, but the Kingdoms were never the same thereafter. The knowledge of being in charge of a whole kingdom was lost when Sally and the rest of the Freedom Fighters died.

Without someone who was environmentally conscious or knew anything about running a kingdom, the citizens of planet Mobius consumed the planet and all its resources and then proceeded to move on to another planet in the solar system. Eventually, the populace killed all the planets in their solar system and thus they reached extinction.

Many hundreds of years later, there was a sudden explosion of life on a far, distant planet. Thus, the cycle begins anew.

**The End**


End file.
